What the Hell?
by SORRY.NO.LONGER.USED
Summary: What the hell am I doing in the Naruto world? And why is there a strange wtich doctor trailing me?" OC/Gaara, Naruto/Sasuke. Rated M for language and later lemon.
1. Chapter 1

'**What the Hell…'**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have a happy childhood!

_A.N – This fanfiction is designed to be paired with another of mine, called 'A Big Random Hole'. It was on my old account but I haven't reposted it yet. Although time wise it came first, you can still read this one. It won't confuse you much._

_Btw, the first chapters might be a little slow, but there's a point to them! I swear!_

**Chapter 1**

**Where's My McFlurry?**

_Hey there!_

_This is the story of me, Gemma, and my adventures in wonderland! AKA Naruto land._

_It all started four years ago…_

I was coming home from evening classes (at fourteen! I hate my Dad) celebrating with a McFlurry 'cause I'd just aced a test!

All of a sudden, the world turned upside down.

Literally.

Like I was standing on my head.

Before I could so much as utter an "Eh?" I was falling. Into what I haven't a clue.

I was to busy screaming "What the fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu…" Well, you get the idea.

Anyways, next thing I knew I was in a field, with three guys.

All staring at me.

Go figure.

Now previously, I was a Naruto fanatic (I refuse to admit to being a fangirl) and as such would have flipped at the idea of watching this fight.

As it was, however, I couldn't remember a thing.

Oh, not amnesia! I remembered who _I_ was and who the P.M was and that the U.S President is a chimp and all that shite.

Just bugger all about Naruto.

Sod's law bites me on the arse again.

So as far as I was concerned I'd gone from an April evening eating a McFlurry, to a warm day with a sore butt.

With three guys looking at me like I'd just eating the last cookie.

My first thought was _'Ow!'_. 

Okay, my first seven or eight thoughts were _'Ow!'_.

And then, confusingly, _'Where's my ice cream?'_.

And finally, '_That guy has bones growing out of his chest…ew!'_.

So, me being concussed and all, I stood up and said the only sensible thing I could think of.

"Dude, that is the grossest thing I have _ever_ seen!"

I ignored his glare and turned to the other two. "And who the fuck are you?"

Suddenly one tackled me to the ground as a bone projectile almost took my head off.

I sat back up, nodded my thanks to my saviour and growled at 'Bone Boy'. 

"What the hell? You almost took my head off, you bonehead!"

The boy beside me sniggered and bent down to whisper in my ear.

"It may not be the best idea to insult him."

I turned to look at my protector properly, and had to choke back a laugh.

He had _weird_ eyes, a bowl cut, eyebrows that seemed to have a life of their own and a green jumpsuit.

And I though _I_ had bad fashion sense.

Still, he did save me, and I didn't want to seem rude. So I just a raised an eyebrow of my own.

"Why is he trying to kill me?"

My question was emphasised by another projectile flying at us. This one was blacked by a wall of…_sand?_

I looked at Eyebrows to see him give a nod of thanks to his companion.

I turned to look at said companion.

'_Ding dong!'_

Now _he_ was hot!

Looking back now, I'm glad my memories were suppressed. If they weren't, I might have jumped him, sand or no sand.

A proper red-head (not ginger, RED), a Japanese symbol on his forehead, a major eyeliner obsession, pale skin and an extremely bored look on his face.

'_Yum!'_

But, I digress.

For about five minute, I looked at hot Panda Boy, he looked at Bonehead, Bonehead looked at Eyebrows, and Eyebrows looked at me.

Staring.

With my mouth open.

Possibly with drool.

Never did get a straight answer on that.

Eventually, nice as Panda Boy was, I got bored and turned to Bonehead, who, if you're interested, had pale skin, white hair, and eyes that looked like he'd been drinking for three days straight.

"Okay, enough. Why are you trying to kill me?"

He glared at me.

"You insulted the legacy of my clan!"

I turned to Eyebrows. "Huh?"

"You mocked his Kekkei Genkai."

"His whaty what now?"

Eyebrows looked at me with exasperation.

"His bones. You made fun of them."

The final answer came from Panda Boy.

'_Mmm. Nice voice.'_

"Oh. Why didn't you say so?"

I stood up straight.

"I'm extremely sorry that your kakathingy is so gross. Now, stop. Trying. To. Kill. Me!"

At this, Bonehead gave a roar and charged at me.

Eyebrows grabbed me and jumped out of the way before dragging me behind Panda Boy. Who unfortunately had a jar on his back so I couldn't admire his ass.

He then collapsed into fits of giggles.

Panda Boy just sent a wave of sand at Bonehead.

"It really wasn't that funny…" I mumbled, staring at Eyebrows.

He wiped his tears away and stood up.

"I am sorry, but you must be either very powerful or very stupid to confront such an enemy. And you do not have a look of power about you."

"Ta!" I growled. "I'm stronger than I look y'know."

"I am sure that is true." Eyebrows agreed. "But still, it is best that you leave this to Gaara and I."

"Humph." I said, sitting down crossed legged. "So he's Gaara, huh?" I looked at Panda Boy, now known as Gaara, who was busy covering Bonehead in his own personal sand suit.

"What about you Eyebrows? You got a name?"

"I am Rock Lee! Splendid ninja of the Village Hidden in the Leaves!" He proclaimed proudly.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Ninja. Right, of course. Because that just explains everything." I shook my head and sighed. "What did those McDonalds bastards put in my ice cream?"

Lee (I couldn't call him _Rock_ for god's sake) looked confused.

"You mean this?" He held up my McFlurry. Minus the spoon, but beggars can't be choosers.

I squealed and grabbed it. "Ice cream! Yeah!"

I glanced back at the sand cocoon now covering Bonehead.

"Hey, you killed him."

"Almost." Gaara said simply. And raised an open hand. "Sand Burial!"

And closed his fist.

A loud crunching came from the cocoon.

There was silence for a moment. Until I decided to break it.

"You squished him." I said nonchalantly. "Ew."

_Yes, I know it's not eyeliner, but at this point Gemma doesn't._

_Please read and review. I have low self esteem. ;)_


	2. Chapter 2

'**What the Hell…'**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have eyebrows!

_Thanks to IEatChicken for my one review! One sob! Is it really that bad?_

**Chapter 2**

**Squish?**

"_Hey, you killed him."_

"_Almost." Gaara said simply. And raised an open hand. "Sand Burial!"_

_And closed his fist._

_A loud crunching came from the cocoon._

_There was silence for a moment. Until I decided to break it._

"_You squished him." I said nonchalantly. "Ew."_

Gaara didn't react to my cry, but instead turned ever so slightly to Lee.

"When I look at this guy, it reminds me of him."

"Huh?" Lee looked at Gaara questioningly. 

For once, I kept my mouth shut. For some reason pissing Gaara off didn't seem like a good idea.

"Uchiha. His eyes. Sasuke had the same eyes this guy does."

"The same eyes…" Lee murmured.

"Seeking to prove the value of their own existence."

'_Waste of effort if you ask me.'_ I thought, staring at the cocoon.

It took me a minute to realise that Gaara and Lee were still staring at the cocoon too. With worried eyes.

I soon found out why as an arm broke through, covered in black patterns.

Lee let out a soft exclamation.

"Whoa." I whispered. "He's still breathing?"

Gaara just narrowed his eyes.

Like he'd been expecting it.

Bonehead eventually pulled himself free., but it was like there were holes in his skin, with bone showing through. And black marks all over his body.

"Im-impossible!" Lee gasped.

"Okay, if I wasn't grossed out before I am now." I whimpered. Bonehead was starting to look really scary.

"That sure was a lot of pressure." He hissed. "If I hadn't grown a membrane of bone underneath my skin, I would have been crushed beyond recognition."

I hardly heard the words, focusing instead on the fact that I could _see_ part of his jaw, moving as he talked.

I shuddered. I'm not afraid to admit I was now officially terrified.

Lee looked paralysed with shock.

Obviously he'd seen Gaara's technique before, and this was the first time it hadn't worked.

"More bones." Gaara sighed. "He's a monster. A freak."

"Well he certainly is a nuisance." Lee agreed. Before turning slightly to me.

He smiled. "It is alright. Gaara will see to him."

I nodded dumbly. Suddenly this situation wasn't so fun.

"I underestimated you." Bonehead told Gaara. "But that's the last time I'll get caught in your sand!"

Gaara didn't reply, but set his legs firmly and started a combination of hand movements that seemed to command a true wave of sand.

It flew in my eyes and stung like a mother…well. I'll save the swearing for when I actually _did_ swear.

Lee gasped and Bonehead (if possible) turned even paler.

"Sand Tsunami!" Gaara exclaimed.

The sand rose up like a tidal wave.

I felt arms around me and looked up to see Lee holding me close, protecting my face from the flying sand, but watching Gaara the whole time.

Bonehead did back flips, trying to avoid the sand, but it caught him and tossed him around like a rag doll.

The sand wave crashed on, covering the field and forest beyond.

Gaara's eyes never left it.

"You, you did it!" Lee proclaimed from beside me.

"No. Not yet." Gaara replied, getting on his hands and knees.

Lee made a "Huh?" sound and I craned my neck to see exactly what Gaara was doing. 

He flung his hands into the sand. "Giant Sand Burial!" He cried, and ripples of power so strong I could see it flew out.

The earth shook and Lee too fell to his knees, his arms ripped from around me.

I'd never been in an earthquake before, and I never want to be in one again. It's like you're on the sea in a storm, only there's nothing to steady yourself with.

Eventually the shuddering stopped. Lee stood up and looked at Gaara questioningly. 

Gaara's face was one of puzzlement and dismay.

"Why won't he give up?" He wondered out loud.

"What?" Lee gasped.

"No way! He can't still be alive! Not after that!" I chimed in. I was shaking and scared and wanted this nightmare to end. Now!

Whether it was the tone in my voice or the way I struggled to stand I don't know, but Gaara finally looked at me. Properly.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Gemma." I whimpered, hating how pathetic I sounded.

"Gemma. You're not a ninja, are you?" 

It was more a statement than a question, but I answered anyway by shaking my head.

"You're…you're not?" Lee sounded puzzled. "Then why did you challenge him?"

"I didn't know…I just thought…he was just…" The words wouldn't come out.

"You've never seen a fight like this before." 

Another statement from Gaara, then he turned and left Lee to deal with me, turning his attention to the problem in hand.

"That is…oh. You must be a little confused." Lee offered.

I gave a snort of laughter. "Yeah, that's one way of putting it."

"Keep her safe."

Lee turned at Gaara's demand.

"I am in no condition as you yourself have said."

"He won't want her until he's finished with me." Gaara explained. "Just keep her out of my way."

"…Alright." Le sighed, and helped me up. "We'll go a bit further back." 

Suddenly a tail erupted from the sand.

"Wait a minute! What is that?" Lee asked in horror.

Gaara didn't answer.

I froze. _'Oh Goddess no.'_

The creature that began to pull itself from the sand was no longer recognisable as Bonehead.

Gaara threw out his hands and began to manipulate the sand into a whirlwind around the monster. Then clenched his fists. "Sand Coffin!"

Lee and I watched in terror. I was shaking again.

Again the creature pulled itself free, and began to charge at us.

Lee let out a cry of surprise. I couldn't even move to scream.

It ran directly at Gaara. 

I took in the grey skin, the huge bones on its back. The tail.

It may sound dumb, but to me it looked like something out of hell. 

It may look funny on T.V, but facing it. Seeing it charge at you with such hate.

That wasn't funny.

It was terrifying.

_A.N: Hands up who expected that! As always please R&R!_


	3. Chapter 3

'**What the Hell…'**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have his own sand box!

**Chapter 3**

**Marrow Rip-off!**

_Again the creature pulled itself free, and began to charge at us._

_Lee let out a cry of surprise. I couldn't even move to scream._

_It ran directly at Gaara. _

_I took in the grey skin, the huge bones on its back. The tail._

_It may sound dumb, but to me it looked like something out of hell. _

_It may look funny on T.V, but facing it. Seeing it charge at you with such hate._

_That wasn't funny._

_It was terrifying._

Gaara made no attempt to move.

I wasn't having much luck myself.

'_Damn it Gemma, move!'_

My brain was screaming, but my body wouldn't listen.

Gaara clenched his fists over and over, trying to catch the monster in the sand, but it was just too fast.

'_Oh, Goddess. I'm gonna die!_

I could see that Lee was as frozen as I.

Gaara gave a grunt and threw his palm on the ground, creating a sand wall.

The monster crashed through it and ran straight into Gaara.

I gave a yelp as he was sent flying.

'_Even him…?'_

Lee turned to stare at the monster.

"Is that the best you can do with your ultimate defence? Is that all?" It mocked. "I'm very disappointed."

Lee growled and moved in front of me.

But it seemed Gaara had been right. The monster didn't even look my way.

I looked over at Gaara to see him pull himself onto all fours and look up.

His face looked like it was crumbling.

It looked downright freaky.

"What…?" I breathed out the unspoken question.

"I see." The monster stated calmly. "An armour-like shell of sand."

And then suddenly Lee was behind him.

How I don't know. I didn't even see him move.

"But he is not your only opponent!" He cried. "I am here as well!" And aimed a kick at the creature.

He missed and the bony tail came up to meet him.

"Lee!" I yelled, finally finding my voice.

Luckily, Gaara already had it covered, and sent up a wall of sand to cushion the blow.

It still hit him hard enough to send him flying with a cry of pain, but it could have been so much worse.

Deadly worse.

My body finally listened to me and I ran behind the creature, refusing to look at it. Only at Lee. It was the only way I could be sure I wouldn't freeze.

Lee forced himself up with grunts and groans of pain.

"Lee, are you okay?" I skidded down next to him, slipping on the sand.

"I have been better." He murmured. And looked over at Gaara. 

I helped him up and followed his gaze.

The monster glared at us. "I'm tired of that sand." He announced angrily. And faced Gaara.

And smiled. 

"Very well Gaara. You first." It taunted.

Rage rushed through me. It made it sound like a game.

Gaara just glared at it.

It began to raise its hand towards its back, slowly. As though it were facing an animal.

Lee let out a sound of disgust and I tried to focus my eyes on what it was reaching for. I assumed it must be another bone.

Its hand tightened around something.

And Gaara frowned.

Somehow, that was more terrifying that anything I'd seen.

'_If it's enough to disturb him…'_

Suddenly the creature pulled the bone out of its back and I nearly threw up as I realised what it was.

"His spine…" Lee gasped in disgust.

I fell to all fours, trying to control the gag reflex.

'_How could anything pull out their own spine?'_

My brain was struggling to believe my eyes.

"Clymadis Dance." The monster grinned. "First the vine."

It let out a yell and whipped its spine towards Gaara.

Gaara glanced at it and pulled a shell of sand around himself.

Luckily, the spine whip didn't get through, but tightened itself around the sand.

"Then the flower." The creature said calmly. And began to transform its arm into a bone drill.

"This bone is my strongest." It told Gaara. "It will bore right through you, defences and all!"

But then it cringed slightly. 

'_In pain?'_ I wondered. It couldn't be fun ripping your spine out after all.

Gaara just frowned, and pulled sand up again. This time he wrapped it around the spine whip.

I heard Lee give a soft gasp beside me. Obviously this wasn't one of Gaara's normal tricks.

_A.N: Y'all know what's coming, ne? R&R!_


	4. Chapter 4

'What the Hell…'

'**What the Hell…'**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have a bigger teddy bear!

_Guys, I'm very insecure, so until I get three reviews I'm not gonna publish another chapter!_

**Chapter 4**

**Sand vs Bone!**

"_This bone is my strongest." It told Gaara. "It will bore right through you, and all!"_

_But then it cringed slightly. _

'_In pain?' I wondered. It couldn't be fun ripping your spine out after all._

_Gaara just frowned, and pulled sand up again. This time he wrapped it around the spine whip._

_I heard Lee give a soft gasp beside me. Obviously this wasn't one of Gaara's normal tricks._

"Ultimate Defence! Shukaku Shield!" Gaara yelled.

Lee and I both gasped as what looked like a giant sand racoon wearing a sombrero appeared in between Gaara and the monster.

"Jesus in a hand-basket!" I exclaimed.

The creature paused for a moment, then drove the bone drill into the racoon.

I let out a whimper of concern.

Lee rested a hand on my arm. 

"No chance." He smiled. "I have fought Gaara and I know that sand shield well. It may give, but it does not break. And this is in a more advanced form. There is no way he will ever break through!"

I admired Lee's faith in Gaara, but I wasn't so sure.

I watched as the creature's brow furrowed in concentration. Indeed, the racoon hardly looked damaged.

Gaara's frown increased as well.

"How does he do it?" I asked Lee.

"That will take some time to explain. For now, it is simply enough that he can do it. And will do it. To protect himself, and us." Lee grinned.

"I really dunno how you can stay so bloody cheerful." I muttered, turning my attention back to the racoon.

I could hear a cracking sound.

'_Oh, I hope that's what I think it is.'_

The cracking got louder, and all of a sudden the bone drill shattered.

"Yes!" I hissed. "Take that you bony bastard!"

The drill had hardly made a dent in the racoon.

"It's so strong!" The monster exclaimed.

"I took the hardest minerals in the soil I gathered. And then I fused them with the sand using my Chakra." Gaara explained, sounding bored. 

"Tell me. That's a very unusual jutsu." He stated. "It's a kakkei genkai, right?" 

"It belonged to the Kaguya clan." The monster replied. "But now, it belongs to me and me alone."

"You're the last of your clan, eh? Then your clan perishes today." Gaara promised.

Wrong thing to think in the midst of battle, I know, but he sounded dead sexy then. I had chills, really.

Somehow, I didn't think it would sound the same coming from Lee.

The monster, however, just smiled. "That might very well be the case. My body has weakened. It may not last much longer. However, I will still live on."

By the looks on Gaara and Lee's faces, I knew I wasn't the only one confused by this statement.

"Because, I am not alone." The monster elaborated.

"Didn't he just say he _was_ alone?" I asked Lee. He shrugged in reply.

"You're not alone you say." Gaara questioned. 

"That's right! My existence has been subsumed into Lord Orochimaru's ambition. That means a part of me will survive in Lord Orochimaru's heart. Forever."

"What's an Orochimaru?" I asked Lee.

"I'll explain later. Now is not the time." Lee hushed me.

"Orochimaru's brainwashed you well." Gaara commented, making a hand sign. "You sad little pawn."

The monster frowned. Then its eyes flew open in shock.

It was being sucked into the ground, as though it were standing on quicksand.

The racoon disintegrated and turned into a sand hand that tugged on the spine whip. 

The sand around Gaara exploded, throwing off the whip as though it were nothing.

The monster struggled, throwing the whip around as it desperately tried to escape the quicksand.

"It is amazing he still has Chakra!" Lee exclaimed next to me.

"What's chakra?" I mumbled, not really expecting an answer.

The monster continued to struggle in the sand, but was only making itself sink faster.

Then it smiled. "I underestimated him."

"I will bury you two hundred metres below the surface of the earth." Gaara told him coldly. "Under pressure so great you won't be able to move a finger. Imprisoned there 'til the end of time."

"He does have a way of making death sound poetic doesn't he?" I smiled slightly at Lee.

'_It's nearly over.'_

"Yes, that is because he once enjoyed it so much." Lee replied.

"Huh?"

"Never mind."

Finally the sand had stopped moving and the monster had gone.

"You did it!" Lee grinned. "This time I am certain of it."

"Humph. He'd better be dead. If he appears again I'll kill him myself." I muttered, feeling a lot braver now the danger had passed.

Lee laughed at me.

But Gaara just stared at the ground.

"DANCE!"

We all jumped, even Gaara as the voice reverberated through the ground.

Gaara's eyes went wide with astonishment.

"Bracken Dance!" The voice commanded.

Gaara recoiled as bone spikes began to explode out of the earth.

"No fucking way!" I yelled. "Who does this guy think he is? Wolverine?"

And then suddenly the spikes began to charge towards Lee and I.

Lee gasped and for once I took command.

"Get up Eyebrows, or we're gonna die!" I screamed, pulling at his arm, but he was in too much pain to move.

'_I can't leave him here!'_

I kept pulling as the spikes got closer, began to surround us.

Then the ground beneath us stirred and moved, almost knocking me off. Lee steadied me as we were lifted on a platform of sand.

I looked over to see Gaara heading towards us on a similar platform, looking completely exhausted.

"Thank you Gaara, you saved me again." Lee said in a relieved voice. "These powers of yours are truly remarkable."

"Not really." Gaara gasped. "I'm merely able to make the sand do my bidding. It's second nature to me now."

"Merely! I don't call what you just did merely anything!" I yelled. "You kicked ass!"

Gaara stared at me.

"I think she's saying thank you." Lee remarked with a grin.

"Yeah! Damn right!" I yelled. Then calmed myself down.

"But really, thanks. You didn't have to save me, but you did so…thanks. Both of you."

Gaara continued staring at me.

Lee laid a hand on my shoulder.

"You were an innocent bystander. Of course we had to save you."

I didn't miss the slight look that passed Gaara's face at the words 'innocent bystander' but choose to ignore them.

Gaara looked down at the field, now obliterated by the spikes.

"A tenacious opponent but this time it's over." He commented. "We won't be seeing him again in this life."

"Yes." Lee agreed. "Good."

I let out a sigh. "And I was planning such a peaceful night in as well."

"But it was fun, yes?" Lee asked, elbowing me in the ribs. "To see a battle of such proportions." 

"No." I stated firmly. "That was _not_ fun. Eating ice cream is fun. Watching my sisters try not to drool over Johnny Depp is fun. Death by Bonehead is _not _fun!"

Lee laughed, more with relief than humour.

"I will have to take your word on that."

Suddenly Gaara fell forward onto one hand.

"Gaara?" I questioned.

"My strength is gone." He answered the unspoken question. "We must descend."

"I am not his pawn!"

The voice caught us all by surprise and I turned to see the monster leaning out of one of the spikes.

I let out a scream as Lee pulled me back and Gaara's eyes opened in fear and astonishment.

"He is the one…the only one who gave my life meaning!" The monster yelled, aiming the bone drill at Gaara's head. 

"But how could the likes of you EVER UNDERSTAND THAT?!" It shrieked throwing the drill towards Gaara's eye.

"Gaara!" I yelled, trying to push past Lee, who wouldn't budge.

We both flinched away as the drill came so close…

And stopped.

Inches from Gaara's terrified face.

Blood fell from the monster's mouth.

"He is dead." Lee said in amazement.

I collapsed. "Oh, Goddess! I can't take this kind of stress at my age!"

"I agree." Lee breathed. "Let us descend to the ground."

Gaara nodded, and slowly pulled the platforms away from the monster's corpse.

_A.N: For anyone that's wondering the reason Gemma says "Goddess"…will be revealed in a later chapter! Mwahahaha! R&R!_

_I know this section is thought in the episode, but I thought he'd probably want to reassure Gemma._

_Lee and Gaara use capital letters when speaking of Chakra, but Gemma doesn't 'cause she doesn't know how important it is!_


	5. Chapter 5

'What the Hell…'

'**What the Hell…'**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have a better family!

_AN; Thanks to my reviewers!_

_MiraiTrunksLove - I don't think adding four reviews would normally work, but since you asked, I'll continue!_

_Dragon of Twilight - Gemma's fourteen, the age I worked them all out to be at this stage._

**Chapter 5**

**Explanations That Don't Explain Anything!**

_Blood fell from the monster's mouth._

"_He is dead." Lee said in amazement._

_I collapsed. "Oh, Goddess! I can't take this kind of stress at my age!"_

"_I agree." Lee breathed. "Let us descend to the ground."_

_Gaara nodded, and slowly pulled the platforms away from the monster's corpse._

We landed on grass near a forest edge, and all collapsed.

Amazingly, my bag had managed to stay attached to me throughout the entire ordeal.

I couldn't say the same for my McFlurry.

I looked up at my two protectors.

Gaara seemed fine, apart from the exhaustion. But Lee was another matter. Cuts and bruises lined his face and what little skin I could see was covered with blood.

I pulled open my bag and took out the full first aid kit I was given when I started my night classes.

"Let me take a look." I said softly.

Lee looked up at me with confusion, but smiled when he saw the kit in my hands.

"External damage only." He told me firmly.

"I can't do much else, but I'll do what I can." I smiled.

"I'm a bit useless in a fight aren't I?"

"That is not always something to be ashamed of." Lee said solemnly. Then winced as I applied some antiseptic to the cuts on his face.

"Honestly!" I grinned. "You can take on Bonehead without so much as an ouch, but put a little antiseptic on and you act like I've taken your arm off. Baby!"

He grinned apologetically, but let me carry on until at least the cuts were clean and covered with plasters.

I turned to Gaara to see him sitting with his head between his legs, the gourd on his back laid down nearby.

"You okay? Externally I mean?"

He didn't bother to answer. I could see for myself.

'_Not a bleeding scratch.'_

"It was sheer luck." He murmured. "I should have been killed."

"No, it was not meant to be." Lee replied. "My sensei has often said to me 'a good ninja always makes his own luck'."

"That meddlesome mother hen." Gaara said with a hint of annoyance.

I couldn't help grinning at Lee's reaction.

"Gai-sensei is nothing of the sort! Yes, he stepped in. But only that once. And only because I was not yet strong enough."

I could only assume they were speaking of the time Gaara and Lee had fought. Somehow it didn't surprise me that Lee had lost the battle.

"I am very grateful to you for having saved my life." He continued. "But I warn you, I will not abide anyone speaking ill of my sensei!"

'_Aww. Sweet!'_ I thought staring at Lee. I couldn't image getting so worked up over a teacher, but that seemed to be Lee's style. To care for people.

"So you're another one, eh?" Gaara commented, half to himself.

"Hmm?"

"You have someone in your life whom you honour and revere so much that every hurt inflicted on them, is inflicted on you as well. And the closer they are to you, the greater the pain."

He looked up, looking a little sad.

"To feel so strongly for someone you would fight for them." He looked at the monster's corpse, high above our heads. "And die for them. You and Naruto Uzumaki have that in common."

Lee's face softened at the name, and I wondered who this boy was, that it produced such a reaction from them both.

"However, what is this person you would honour and even die for is not a virtuous person?" Gaara questioned.

"Impossible!" Lee exclaimed. "Such a person, would…would be unworthy of honour or respect!"

"No. Perhaps the companionship of even an evil person, is preferable to loneliness." Gaara said thoughtfully.

Lee too looked up at Bonehead's corpse.

I pulled my gaze away.

"I wonder how many people he must have lost to have chose such a companion." I murmured.

Gaara turned to me in confusion. "What?"

"Well, I mean. There's always _someone_ around right? I mean, I can't stand my dad, and my sisters don't give me the time of day. But even if it's just someone I've seen at school waving at me in the street, I know." I looked at my feet. "I'm not alone. No matter how much it feels like it."

Gaara blinked at me, and Lee laid a hand on my back.

I smiled at Gaara. "Anyway! You can't be lonely right? You've got Lee! You guys are buddies."

"The last time we met I tried to kill him." Gaara said factually.

I turned to Lee who gave me a sheepish grin of confirmation.

"Oh. Well, you didn't try to kill me, so I consider you a mate! Okay!"

Gaara's eyes widened and Lee choked on air.

"A…what?"

"Mate, buddy, comrade." I looked at Gaara squarely. "A friend you numbskull!"

"That is not the meaning of 'mate'." Gaara said simply as Lee burst out laughing.

"It is where I come from! What did you think I meant any…oh! THAT?! Oh please! I mean you're cute 'n' all but even I'm not that quick!"

Gaara's mouth had fallen open at the word cute, and Lee was in hysterics on the floor!

"Oh, wait until I tell Naruto! Gaara, CUTE! Hah!"

"What? He is!" I said pouting.

Gaara got up slowly.

"I am…going to see if there are any medical nins nearby." He said, before grabbing his gourd and jumping into a tree.

I turned to Lee.

"What'd I say?"

Lee wiped the tears away. "No one has ever called Gaara 'cute' before! Of all the words."

"Yeah, words seem to have a different meaning here." I muttered, a little irritated.

"Indeed. I do not understand half of what you say, though generally speaking I get the gist of it. And what kind of name is Gemma?"

"What kind of name is Rock?" I shot back.

"Where _do_ you come from?" Lee asked in amazement.

"Maidstone. Kent. England. Earth?" I said, as Lee looked more confused at each word.

"I have never heard of these places. Except for Earth of course."

"Well, where am I now?"

"The Land of Fire."

"…Where?"

_A.N: She's a lil slow, huh? R&R!_


	6. Chapter 6

'What the Hell…'

'**What the Hell…'**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have a brother with common sense! All black. In the desert. Smart.

_A.N - Thanks to my reviewers!_

_IEatChicken - Yup yup! Clueless she is!_

_Sarimia - Aww, thank you! And Gemma's religious views will be discussed in a later chapter. Be patient!_

_MiraiTrunksLove - Yes, yes he did. Even Sobaku no Gaara can't handle fangirls!_

**Chapter 6**

**Scars!**

"_Where do you come from?" Lee asked in amazement._

"_Maidstone. Kent. England. Earth?" I said, as Lee looked more confused at each word._

"_I have never heard of these places. Except for Earth of course."_

"_Well, where am I now?" _

"_The Land of Fire."_

"…_Where?"_

"The Land of Fire." Lee repeated.

"Never heard of it. You sure?"

"I have lived here for all of my life. I know what my own country is called." Lee said a little irritated.

"Right. Well I have no idea where the hell I am in that case!" I said cheerfully.

"You certainly seemed to appear out of nowhere." Lee replied thoughtfully. "And the way you dress and act are far from what is normal, even for a shinobi."

"A what?"

"A ninja. Shinobi is a more common term." Lee explained.

"Oh. And what's chakra?"

"It is the life energy that flows through every being on Earth. Shinobi learn to harness this energy through a collection of hand symbols and words."

"So that's how Gaara moves his sand?" I asked, more than a little eager to learn more about ninja skills.

"Yes, or at least, that is what he uses to use his more advanced techniques. Generally speaking, the sand will protect him from harm of its own free will. He does not consciously order it. That is how he can battle without moving."

"Coolness! What about you?"

"What?"

"What can you do?" I poked him. "Come on! Spill!"

"Well, I am a taijutsu specialist. I use my Chakra to increase the power of my physical moves." Lee smiled. "For example, I can channel my Chakra into my foot to make sure that I land a more powerful kick."

"Wow!" I grinned and leant back. "You guys rule! I wish I could do shit like that."

"Well, you probably can. You might just need the right sort of training. I assume you never passed the ninja test then?"

"I never took one. I'm still studying for my GCSEs."

"Your what?" I turned to Lee. He looked completely bemused.

"Okay, lets start with the basics, okay?" I turned to face Lee properly and held out my hand.

"I'm Gemma Atkin. I'm fourteen and in secondary school. I have four sisters and a bastard for a father. Now you."

Lee grinned. "I am Rock Lee. I am fifteen, and a gennin level shinobi. I have no siblings and my parents died when I was very small."

He shook my hand.

"Good. Now we have to wait for Gaara to return so I can do the same to him." I smiled evilly.

"I cannot guarantee he will answer you. He tends to avoid physical contact as well." Lee said, staring up at the bone field again. "Unless he is battling. Even then, it is rare that someone can lay a blow on him."

"That explains the near flawless of his skin I guess." I mumbled. Then winced. "Ouch!"

"Are you alright?" Lee looked at me with concern.

"I dunno. My arm kinda hurts." I hissed. I hadn't noticed the pain until now.

'_Must be the loss of adrenaline.'_

Just then, as if by magic, Gaara returned with a couple of much older and taller men with masks on their faces.

"Rock Lee, are you injured?" One asked kneeling by him.

"Yes, but not to seriously. The damage is mostly external, and my new friend here patched me up fairly well." Lee grinned at me. Then narrowed his eyes in worry. "But she seems to have been injured herself."

Gaara turned and stared at me.

The second man sat next to me. "Where does it hurt?" He asked kindly.

"My arm kinda stings, here." I pointed to the underside of my upper arm.

"Okay. Lift your arm for me." He gently grabbed my wrist and examined the arm. "Well, there's definitely some blood here. Looks like a cut. Okay, lets get this top off."

"Whaaaaat?!" I screeched. "No bloody way! Wait here, I'll go get my arm out of the top."

"Are you sure? It would be a lot easier just to cut through the top." He held the bottom of the sleeve of my long sleeved bell top.

"Uh uh! This is the only top I have with me! I'll get my arm out, chill!" I said with a grin. And disappeared behind a tree.

I used a trick I'd used a while back of slipping just one arm out of my top and bra strap. Luckily, my top was elasticised well.

I came out again, my hand holding the cut on my arm that was now bleeding freely.

"Okay, now it hurts!" I grunted. The man smiled at me and gestured for me to take a seat. As I sat and lifted my arm the blood ran down into my top and I made a face.

Gaara, meanwhile had frowned and moved to behind me.

"What is that?" He asked.

"Huh?"

Lee followed him and I heard a hiss. "How did this happen? Was it in the fight?"

"Nah." I smirked. I knew what they were staring at. "I've had those scars since I was nine."

"Why?"

Gaara's question was so soft I barely heard it.

"Enough questions." The man next to me said firmly. "This cut is deeper than I thought. I want to get her back to the Leaf Village. I don't wan to heal it here."

"Why not?" Lee asked, sounding worried.

"Because, your friend is unique." The man said grimly.

"She has _no_ Chakra!"

_A.N; Ohhhh! She has no Chakra eh? What's up with that? R&R_

_I have never found any reference to Lee's parents so I made it up. If I'm wrong _please _let me know!_


	7. Chapter 7

'What the Hell…'

'**What the Hell…'**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have a sister with better taste in men!

_A.N - I dunno if anyone's noticed, but the disclaimer changes slightly every time. Unfortunetly I'm running out of ideas, so suggestions would be appriciated. _

_Dragon of Twilight - Here's an update for ya!_

_MiraiTrunksLove - Thanks for your support!_

**Chapter 7**

**Dimensional Whaty what?!**

"_Enough questions." The man next to me said firmly. "This cut is deeper than I thought. I want to get her back to the Leaf Village. I don't wan to heal it here."_

"_Why not?" Lee asked, sounding worried._

"_Because, your friend is unique." The man said grimly. _

"_She has no Chakra!"_

"Is that a major problem then?" I asked dimly as Lee's eyes widened in disbelief and the other doctor frowned in astonishment.

"Are you sure Tagern? I mean, how can she have no Chakra? Nothing can exist without Chakra."

"Well, she's breathing, so I guess they can." Tagern said grumpily. "I know how to read Chakra, Lonea. And she doesn't have any!"

Lonea took my hand gently and closed his eyes. "Damn. You're right."

"I know I'm right!" Tagern growled. "I'm not an idiot."

"It is not possible!" Lee whispered.

"What's the big?" I asked, annoyed. My arm was really caning by then. "I told you I'm not a ninja, so having no chakra's not a problem, right?"

"It should not matter whether you are a ninja or not. You should still have Chakra. Every living thing has Chakra."

"Well, I don't. Big whoop! My arm fucking hurts! Can't you just, I dunno, give me some painkillers or something?" I was fair growling by now.

"No, I want to get you back to the Leaf Village as soon as possible." Tagern stood up. "Come on."

"What?"

"Well, you said you weren't a ninja, so I'm assuming you can't tree leap, right?"

"Yeah." I pouted. "So?"

"So," Lonea picked up the conversation "you're gonna have to be carried."

"Oh fuck no!" I stood up and backed away. "Firstly, I need to put my top back on. Secondly, I'm not being carried by anyone, especially someone I don't know!"

"Well, hurry and redress yourself, because there's no other way to get you there." Tagern huffed.

I pulled my arm back in my sleeve and winced as it brushed the bandage Tagern had covered my cut with.

"I'm. Not. Being. Carried!" I snarled.

"Oh. Yes You Are!" Lonea countered.

"Oh. No. I'm…HEY!"

I suddenly found myself in Gaara's arms.

"Put me down!" I yelled.

Gaara gaveme the kind of look one would give a child having a temper tantrum.

"You are unable to tree leap. You do not want the medic nins to carry you and Lee is in no condition to do so. I am the only option left. Unless you would prefer to stay here and bleed to death."

I blinked. "That's the longest thing you've said to me yet Panda Eyes." I grinned. "You're slipping!"

Gaara just stared at me. I stared back.

Then huffed. "Fine, break your arms, see if I care!"

"You are not heavy." Gaara said simply. And took off.

The journey to the Leaf Village was fairly short considering. Everyone was fairly silent throughout the journey. I tried to engage Gaara in conversation a few times.

Need I say how much of a wasted effort that was?

I eventually figured he'd used his word limit for the day or something.

Would you believe I actually fell asleep at one point? I woke up when I felt someone shake me. It was Lee.

"We are here, Gemma. You need to wake up now."

I stretched. Gaara had already put me down, leaving me to walk on my own. I didn't mind, really.

Honest.

Oh shut up!

"I didn't drool did I?" I asked Lee.

"No, you were really rather…cute." He smiled.

Gaara gave a "Humph.".

"Gaara thought so too." Lee said slyly.

"Uh huh. I'll believe that when pigs fly." I muttered. "So can I get this arm seen to now?"

"Absolutely." Lonea said. "And quickly. It looks like it's still bleeding, and I don't want you to loose any more blood."

The Leaf Village hospital was unlike any I've ever seen before. It was clean, sure. But it didn't have that horrible clinical smell hospitals usually have.

I was taken to a room immediately, and Tagern went to find the Hokage.

'_Whoever the hell that is!'_

Lee had been dragged away to another room. But Gaara stayed with me for now. Didn't speak.

Or move.

Or, as far as I'm aware blink.

Didn't even look at me.

But he stayed. And to me that counted for something.

So I decided to try one least time.

"Okay, I'll do the same for you that I did for Lee." I announced, walking over to him and holding out my hand.

Gaara raised a non-existent eyebrow at me.

"I'm Gemma Atkin. And you are…"

"You already know my name." Gaara said turning away.

"Yes, but it's polite to formally introduce yourself, rather than have a friend shout your name during battle." I pushed.

Gaara sighed and lightly shook my hand.

"Gaara of the Desert."

"Well named." I grinned. Gaara didn't bother to respond.

I sat back on the bed, satisfied for now.

There was a sudden knock at the door and a woman with _huge_breasts entered the room. She gave a curt nod to Gaara before sitting next to me.

"So you're the little miracle Tagern is raving about!" She grinned at me. "I can see why! You're a cutie."

"Thanks!" I grinned back. "But I don't think that's the reason he's so enamoured."

"Ah, yes!" She gave a knowing smile. "Your incredible lack of Chakra. Well, lets have a look at that arm first. Gaara, I don't think I need to ask you to-" She stopped. Gaara had already left.

"Well, he's certainly a lot better behaved than _my_shinobi." She smiled. "I'm the Hokage, Tsunade, by the way."

"Gemma." I replied. And held up my arm. "I don't mean to be rude, but this really hurts!"

The Hokage laughed. "Alright. Take the shirt off. Don't worry, I have one here that's a lot more practical." She held up a boob tube like thing, but with straps. "I'll leave you to change. By the way, the general theory for your lack of Chakra and strange ways is…that you come from another dimension!"

I'll never forget the look of shock on her face as I 'hmm'ed and grinned.

"That would make sense!"

_A.N; So they finally figured it out! And wasn't Gaara sweet staying with her? R&R_


	8. Chapter 8

'What the Hell…'

'**What the Hell…'**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have a sister with better taste in men!

_A.N - Hey guys! Thanks for all your support on this fic. Just to let you know chapters might start appearing a little slower since I am writting them as I go!_

_MiraiTrunksLove - Again with the reviews! Is good! Thanks!_

_Hitorimono - Thanks for the praise. Hope I can keep it up!_

**Chapter 8**

**Should They Be Soft?!**

_The Hokage laughed. "Alright. Take the shirt off. Don't worry, I have one here that's a lot more practical." She held up a boob tube like thing, but with straps. "I'll leave you to change. By the way, the general theory for your lack of Chakra and strange ways is…that you come from another dimension!"_

_I'll never forget the look of shock on her face as I 'hmm'ed and grinned. _

"_That would make sense!"_

I sighed. _'BOOOOORINGGGG!'_

I was all patched up now, and had a change of clothes and a bath. But I wasn't allowed to leave the hospital, and since I didn't know any of the patients (Lee had been discharged almost immediately) I was pretty much alone.

Lee had promised to visit when he had time, but I'd only been here a day.

"Damn, I'm bored!" I shouted out loud.

"Really?"

I sat bolt upright at the voice.

Gaara was standing in the doorway, looking as bored as I felt.

"Gaara! I thought you were heading home (wherever that is)?"

"Yes. So did I. But my sister wants to stay and make sure an ally is alright. So my brother and I are stuck here until then." He sighed, making his way in and standing by the window.

"You have siblings? I thought you said you didn't have anyone who cared about you?"

"I don't." Gaara said simply.

"But, I mean. Ah! My head! You confuse me, ya know?"

Gaara turned to look at me, a curious expression on his face.

"Yes, you confuse me as well. I felt the need to see you again."

I grinned. "'Course you did! I'm just too darn cute, ne?"

"I do not know why." Gaara turned back to the window. "It is puzzling. And frustrating. I usually avoid contact with others unless I plan to kill them."

"Hmm." I said, raising an eyebrow. "You're not planning to kill me are you?"

He didn't answer.

"Gaara…"

"If I were you would already be dead, so I did not think the question needed answering." He said, sighing.

'_Why is it every time he talks to me he sounds like he's explaining things to a child?'_ I wondered grumpily.

"Well, if you're just gonna stare out the window, I'm gonna get some sleep." I lay back and rolled on my side.

"Wake me up when something interesting happens." I mumbled.

"Hmm."

I lay there in silence for a while. I don't sleep well during the day, but damned if I was gonna just sit there being patronised.

After a while I felt the bed sag as Gaara sat on it, facing my back.

"What are they?"

I sighed, not bothering to ask how he knew I wasn't asleep.

"Burn scars."

"Did you do them?"

"No! Of course not!"

Gaara stayed quiet, waiting for an explanation. Which he wasn't gonna get.

After a while, I felt a hand tentatively rest on my back.

"Gaara?"

"I want to know what they feel like." He said. No apology.

Why was I not surprised?

I just laid there, letting Gaara brush his hand over the old scars. Not that you'll ever get me to admit it to him, but it felt kinda nice.

"They're soft." He mumbled. "Should scars be soft like this? Mine isn't."

Somehow I got the feeling he wasn't talking to me, so I stayed quiet.

"Hey! Gaara! You molesting the patients?" A voice called cheerfully from the doorway.

I turned to see a boy leaning against the door frame.

'_Hmm.' _I thought. _'Full black body suit, purple face paint, and a strange object tied to his back. I'm gonna assume this is Gaara's brother!'_


	9. Chapter 9

'What the Hell…'

'**What the Hell…'**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have his own personal beach!

_A.N - Thanks for reviews!_

_MiraiTrunksLove - I'm not gonna update as frequently now, coz of complications._

_Hitorimono - Hope it didn't disturb 'em._

**Chapter 9**

**Eurgh! Puppets!**

"_Hey! Gaara! You molesting the patients?" A voice called cheerfully from the doorway._

_I turned to see a boy leaning against the door frame. _

'_Hmm.' I thought. 'Full black body suit, purple face paint, and a strange object tied to his back. I'm gonna assume this is Gaara's brother!'_

I tried giving Gaara's brother the once over, but it's pretty hard to do when the guy in question has paint on his face. You kinda get drawn to the paint, not the features.

Maybe that was the point?

He was Gaara's brother after all…

"Kankuro."

Gaara glared at him in a 'what do you want' way.

Kankuro ignored him.

"What?" Gaara finally demanded.

"Hmm? Oh sorry Gaara, I was…distracted." He grinned, flashing a wink my way.

'_Oookay. Maybe they aren't brothers.'_ I thought. I couldn't see Gaara winking.

Eye twitching maybe, but not winking.

Kankuro walked over to my bed and held out his hand.

"I'm Kankuro. And you are…"

"Gemma." I grinned back.

'_Finally, a normal teenage boy!'_

"Gemma, huh? I like it. It's cute." Kankuro began to make himself comfortable on my bed. "So what's a girl like you doing-"

"-in a place like this?" I finished, laughing. "_That's_ the best you can do?"

He smirked at me. "Actually, I was gonna finish it with 'letting my brother molest you' but hey! Whatever works for you!"

So he _was_ Gaara's brother. Bloody hell!

"Kankuro…" Gaara's voice held a warning of impending pain.

Kankuro finally turned to his brother, a serious face showing through the paint.

"They brought Uzumaki in. He's…in a pretty bad way…oh hell, Gaara he's a mess!"

Gaara's face was impassive. "And Uchiha?"

Kankuro growled. "It was the Uchiha bastard who messed him up!"

There was silence for a moment.

Then Gaara walked out.

"'Bye Gemma, I'll be back soon. Don't worry about my perverted brother.'" I called out sulkily.

"Hey! I'm not perverted!" Kankuro pouted.

I huffed and fell back onto the bed, kicking Kakuro's leg out of the way. He shifted so we could sit face each other.

"No friends my arse!" I mumbled.

"He said that?" Kankuro asked, sounding a little hurt.

"Yeah, in an around about way."

Kankuro sighed. "Wish he's realise he has his share."

"Yeah, how come he's like that?" I asked, sitting up.

"Long story kid."

"I ain't going nowhere."

"It's…not something that can be discussed lightly." Kankuro looked up at me. "Sorry."

"S'okay. I'll drag it outta him myself at some point. You guys are here for a while, right?"

"Yeah." Kankuro made a face. "Temari, my sister, wants to check Nara's okay and now Gaara won't leave 'til he's sure Uzumaki's gonna make it."

"Who is he? Gaara mentioned him before. And Lee seemed pretty much in awe of him too."

"He's a brat." Kankuro said shrugging. "A powerful brat, but still a brat. He beat Gaara a while back. Knocked some sense into him."

"He beat Gaara?" I whistled. "Bugger me."

"Is that an invitation?" Kankuro leered.

A scowl was his answer.

He sighed. "Why does Gaara get all the fangirls?"

"I am NOT a fangirl!" I snarled.

Kankuro laughed. "Sorry, my bad. But he does get a lot of girls following him around. They all want to, and I quote, 'Tame the wild beast that is Gaara of the Desert!'."

I snorted. "Yeah, good luck with that."

"Exactly. They're just attracted to his power. Y'know, I think you're the first girl that's actually accepted that that's just how he is." Kankuro pouted again. "Why can't they ever want to tame _my_ wild beast?"

"HA!" I fell of the bed. "No offense Kankuro but compared to your brother you're a fluffy puppy!" I gasped from the floor.

Kankuro scowled at me. "I hope your butt hurts!"

"Yeah, it kinda does." I winced as I climbed back on the bed. "And, please, no offers to kiss it better."

"Spoilsport."

"Hmm."

"Now you sound like Gaara."

We sat in silence for a while, then Kankuro began to fiddle with the package he'd removed from his back.

I contemplated how different the two siblings were and wondered what the sister, Temari, was like.

"What is that thing anyway?" I asked, pointing to the package.

"One of my puppets." Kankuro answered distractedly, though he looked up when I shuddered and recoiled. "What?"

"I…I don't like puppets." I admitted, embarrassed.

"Really? Well, he really needs fixing, so I'd better do it elsewhere huh?" He grinned and reattached the puppet to his back. He headed to the door, then turned and gave me a wave.

"Bye Gemma, I'll be back soon!" He smirked. "Don't worry about my psychotic brother!"

"Ha bloody ha." I muttered as he left.

'_Alone again.'_

I looked out of the window for a while, watching a stunning sunset.

I turned when I heard a loud 'poof' noise…only to be confronted with a old black man with various animal bits attached to his clothes. Before I could move he saw me, let out a yelp of joy and straddled me.

"OhthankthegodsabocethatIfoundyouyouhavenoideahowlongI'vebeenlookingforyouwhereisthatboyhe'ssupposedtobelookingafteryouuntilyou'restrongenoughtoprotecthimandifyoudieIwillbeinSO MUCH TROUBLE!"

I blinked once.

Twice.

Then…

"ARRRRRRRRRRRHGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!"

_A.N – Translation; Oh thank the gods that I found you! You have no idea how long I've been looking for you. Where is that boy? He's supposed to be looking after you until you're strong enough to protect him. And if you die I will be in SO MUCH TROUBLE!_

_Okay?_


	10. Chapter 10

'What the Hell…'

'**What the Hell…'**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have a king sized bed ;)!

**Chapter 10**

**I Told the Witchdoctor!**

"_OhthankthegodsabocethatIfoundyouyouhavenoideahowlongI'vebeenlookingforyouwhereisthatboyhe'ssupposedtobelookingafteryouuntilyou'restrongenoughtoprotecthimandifyoudieIwillbeinSO MUCH TROUBLE!"_

_I blinked once. _

_Twice._

_Then…_

"_ARRRRRRRRRRRHGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

"ARGGHHHHHHH! RAAAAPPPPPPEEEE-mph!"

My scream was cut off abruptly as the crazy pervert slapped a hand over my mouth.

"Gods but you're loud! Now calm down, I won't hurt you. In fact I'm here to he_eeeeellllpppp!?_"

I blinked. The guy was gone.

"Eh?" I exclaimed. Then heard a whimper, and looked up.

Creepy pervert dude was suspended from the ceiling.

Guess what by?

I turned to the doorway to see an extremely pissed looking Gaara gesturing at the pervert.

I resisted the urge to throw myself into his arms (mainly 'cause I was certain if I did I'd join the guy on the ceiling) and grinned.

"Gaara! You came to rescue me!"

He spared me a bored look that I couldn't quite interpret and turned back to the pervert.

"Gemma!"

I blinked as Kankuro came round the corner, almost crashing into Gaara. "Sorry bro. Gemma, are you okay kid?" He panted.

"Yeah." I smirked. "Was rescued." And pointed to the ceiling. "See?"

Kankuro looked up, blinked, and grinned.

"Wow Gaara, I've never seen you move so fast. Uzumaki's room is on the other side of the hospital after all."

"He was asleep. I was heading back." Gaara replied with a sigh.

There was a sudden commotion as several medics pushed Kankuro and Gaara out of the way, which caused Kankuro to swear, Gaara to glare, and the medics to tremble.

"Gaara, be nice." I scolded. "They probably heard the scream."

"Are you kidding? Everyone in the Fire Country heard that scream!" Kankuro grinned. And raised an eyebrow as Gaara growled and backed away from the terrified medics. "What did you do to him?"

"Huh? What?" I asked, confused.

"Um, hello!? Little help here?" A yell came from the ceiling.

I cocked an eyebrow. "And why should I help a pervert who was trying to rape me?"

"I. Was. NOT. Trying to rape you!" He growled out. Then winced as the sand tightened.

"Don't growl at her." Gaara said calmly. "Or I'll kill you."

"Like hell you will! Drop me you sandy arsed brat! Right now!"

Gaara and I exchanged a look.

"You heard the man, drop him Gaara."

Gaara dropped him.

Hard.

I sighed contentedly and settled back on the bed. "Now, why were you molesting me?"

The medics exchanged looks and started towards me. And quickly stopped when Gaara looked at them.

"Get the Hokage. Now." He said coldly.

"Sir, with all respect and a desire to continue breathing," a medic sighed "we have to examine Miss Aitkin to see what damage, if any has been done."

"The Hokage can do that. Get her."

"We will, but one of us needs to remain here. Regulations state that there need to be at least three shinobi guarding a possible threat."

Gaara glared at the, then glanced at Kankuro.

Kankuro sighed. "Give me five minutes." And disappeared.

Silence ruled for a few minutes…'til I got bored of it.

"What kind of security does this place have anyway?"

"Our shinobi are spread a bit thin at the moment. We're still reeling from the-"

He cut himself off abruptly and glanced at Gaara.

Gaara continued to stare at the pervert on the ground.

"Name." He demanded.

The creepy guy glared at him. "Brat."

"Weird ass name." I sighed. "Do you want that sand back around you?"

He grumbled. "Fine. I am the great Voodoo Duju! Witchdoctor extraordinaire."

"…" I just stared at him, grinned and began whistling 'The Witchdoctor' quietly.

"Oh shut up! Just what I needed! Another Jennifer! Honestly, why can't Those Who Watch ever choose normal polite girls as vessels?"

"Those who watch what?" I asked curiously.

"Tennis." He deadpanned. "What do you think, Jemima Aitkin?"

Gaara turned to me, a hairless brow raised. "Jemima?"

"Do. Not. EVER. Call. Me. That." I snarled out.

And leapt out of bed and over to the witchdoctor. I grabbed his collar and started shaking him.

"Who the hell are you and why do you know my name?!"

"Please-stop-shaking-me!" He gasped out.

"NO!" I growled! "Who the hell are you?"

I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Gemma, he can't answer if his head has fallen off." Kankuro's voice chuckled beside me.

I growled again, and threw Duju down. "Bastard."

A sigh came from the doorway. "Troublesome." I turned to see a boy with a ponytail turn to the medics. "You can get Lady Tsunade now. I'll keep an eye on them."

The main medic nodded and they left.

Duju groaned and rubbed his neck.

Gaara was smirking.

'_Which looks damn hot!'_

"You really are just like her." Duju sighed.

"Who?" I asked, annoyed.

"The Phoenix." Duju replied. And stood up, drawing himself up to his full height.

"I am the guardian and guide to the Legendary Vessels, which include the Phoenix, the Unicorn, the Leviathan, the Elf, and the Dragon."

He pointed at me. "You, Gemma Aitkin, are the chosen vessel of the Dragon. A Legendary."

There was silence for a moment.

"EHHHGGGG?" 

_A.N – Hehehe. He said I was just like her (the Phoenix is me BTW, and the Unicorn is my best friend Susie. We have to stick together 'cause I have a short temper)._

_Please R&R_


	11. Chapter 11

'What the Hell…'

'**What the Hell…'**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have a side kick with significantly lower powers!

**Chapter 11**

**I'm A Big Scary Dragon! Grr!**

_**Hey guys! It's Gemma here! Just a warning. Kakashi-sensei and Jiraiya Sanin have been proof reading this for me, and they have suggested that I ask some friends to put some POVs in. So that's what I did. And the first one that's gonna get an opportunity is…Shikamaru! Say hi Shika!**_

… _**Troublesome…**_

_**DO YOU EVER SAY ANYTHING ELSE?!**_

_**Do you want me to write this POV or not?**_

…_**Fine. (Bastard).**_

"_I am the guardian and guide to the Legendary Vessels, which include the Phoenix, the Unicorn, the Leviathan, the Elf, and the Dragon."_

_He pointed at me. "You, Gemma Aitkin, are the chosen vessel of the Dragon. A Legendary."_

_There was silence for a moment._

"_EHHHGGGG?" _

"She's a what?" Kankuro asked, eyebrow raised.

"The Dragon." Duju repeated.

"…Okay. Of course she is!" Kankuro smiled pacifying at Duju and murmured out of the corner of his mouth at the pony-tailed boy. "Get the medics to get a white room ready."

The boy sighed. "Troublesome." And gestured for me to sit down. "Why do you think she's a dragon?"

"Not 'a' dragon. THEE Dragon." Duju emphasised. "A great and ancient creature with power over wind, air and sound!"

I looked down at my hands, looked up, and raised an eyebrow.

"Bollocks!"

Duju sighed.

"Yes, well. Usually the power only activates when you're in danger. But you've already been in some quite considerable danger without the Dragon awaking. Now, granted we've only tested two other vessels, but still."

He stood up. "I think it needs a kick-start!"

And with that he leapt forwards and punched his palm into my chest.

It felt like a hundred hot knives were being stabbed into my heart.

Kankuro later told me that I'd screamed so loud he thought Duju _had_ stabbed me.

All I remember is pain!

Which disappeared as soon as Duju's hand was ripped away from my chest. Pony-Tail caught me, asking if I was alright.

I couldn't answer. My breath was completely gone.

I looked up to see Duju disappearing inside a sand coffin.

I turned my head into Pony-Tail's shoulder as Gaara clenched his fist.

But there was no crunch.

I opened my eyes to see an empty sand coffin dissolving.

Gaara looked…psychotic.

Not pissed, not angry.

Psychotic.

Kankuro must have noticed too because he began to edge towards Gaara, hands held up, palms out in surrender. A gesture of peace.

"Hey, Gaara? Look, don't worry. We'll catch him, okay? He can't have gone far."

Gaara's eye's narrowed and the barely visible pupils dilated.

"Not good, he's loosing it! This is so troublesome!" Pony-Tail hissed beside me.

I only knew one method to calm people down that worked without fail, and I decided to use it.

I got up, walked over to Gaara, much to Pony-Tail and Kankuro's horror, and wrapped my arms around his waist. I thanked the gods that the gourd had dissolved as I hugged Gaara's back.

**Shikamaru's POV**

There was silence around the room.

Kankuro looked like he was choking.

I was frozen in shock, waiting for the carnage that never came.

I moved myself slowly so I could see Gaara's face.

I'd already prepared several strategies in case Gaara started acting up, but the thought that the girl would even approach him in this state, let alone _hug_ him, had never even entered my mind.

'_She doesn't know what he is…or was anyway.' _I reminded myself.

And Gaara was obviously shocked beyond belief. I found myself wondering if he's ever been shown affection like this before.

So far, however, his only reaction had been to widen his eyes and stare down at the girl's hands in astonishment.

"…Wh-what…" He finally managed to growl out.

The idiotic girl only smiled, and buried her head in his back, muffling her words.

"Stop having a hissy fit, Panda Boy. I'm fine, okay? And Kankuro's right. He won't go far. He's my 'guardian', remember? So calm down."

Gaara turned his head slowly to stare down towards the girl currently attached to him.

"What is…" He tried again.

A look of realisation crossed Kankuro's face and he chuckled.

I took this to mean the danger had passed, though I remained on my guard and checked for available shadows.

'_What d'you know…Gaara of the Desert, demon of the Sand, reduced to confusion by a pair of big green eyes and a hug. Heh. I'll have to tell Naruto this when he wakes up.'_

"It's called a hug Gaara." Kankuro said gently. "It's…well…it's something, precious people give each other. Y'know, to comfort each other. And offer support I guess."

"Precious…people?" Gaara questioned.

Kankuro nodded.

It really is quite interesting to see emotions race across Gaara's face, since it's usually so impassive. He finally seemed to settle on confusion, and removed the arms around his waist.

He turned to stare at the girl.

"Why?"

She grinned. "I've already said I'm your friend, ne? And friends are precious to each other."

Gaara nodded.

"So why the confusion, eh?"

Gaara kept staring at her.

I sighed.

"Troublesome females. What a pain."

_A.N – Hehe! Gaara's first hug! Yayness. Oh, BTW. If anyone's interested, I've donea sketch of what Gemma looks like. Tell me your email and I'll send you it. I haven't added colour though. If anyone else wants to try their hand at drawing her, or her and Gaara together, feel free to email them to me, and I'll paste 'em on future chapters!_

_Ja Ne!_


	12. Chapter 12

'What the Hell…'

'**What the Hell…'**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have a tattoo on his arse as well ;)!

_A.N – My reviews seem to have disappeared, so I'm not putting another chapter out 'til I get one! Just one._

**Chapter 12**

**Who Let the Dogs Out?!**

_She grinned. "I've already said I'm your friend, ne? And friends are precious to each other."_

_Gaara nodded._

"_So why the confusion, eh?"_

_Gaara kept staring at her._

_I sighed._

"_Troublesome females. What a pain."_

_Gemma POV_

Gaara kept staring at me for a long time...so long in fact, that I got bored and sat down on the bed.

'_Geez, it was just a hug!'_

It was around about then that Tsunade came in with several guys in masks behind her. She looked over the scene and growled. "Where is he?"

Gaara glared at her as though the answer was obvious.

"He got away…?" Kankuro tried.

"That, is obvious." Tsunade sighed. "How?"

"I honestly don't know. He was in Gaara's Desert Coffin one second, and the next he was gone!" Kankuro threw his hands up in defeat. "Poof!"

"Great. Wonderful. I have a rogue ninja running around my town!"

"Actually, he's a witch doctor." I commented idly.

"A WHAT?!"

The masked men took a step back. "Lord Hokage…" One murmured.

Tsunade growled again.

"Nara, stay with Gemma and make a report on what happened. You two desert brats get yourselves out there and start looking for that bastard. I have to check on Hyuga, then I'll come and fetch your report."

"Great." Nara sighed, and sat down next to me. Only to be pushed off by a sudden rush of sand.

"Too close." Gaara said simply, glaring daggers at Nara.

"Fine! I'll stay over the other side of the room or whatever! What's your problem?" He yelled.

"Yeah!" I joined in. "I'll get close to whomever the hell I want!"

I stopped as a hand landed gently on my shoulder, and quickly disappeared at Gaara's glare.

"Just…leave it, okay? I'll explain later." Kankuro whispered. "And please, try not to get to close to any guys…they might get killed."

He moved next to Gaara.

"Okay bro, lets go hunt us a witch doctor."

Gaara nodded, and they both disappeared.

I gave a soft snort and poked Nara.

"Hey! What was that for?" He growled.

"Rebellion. You gonna sit next to me or not." I growled.

"You're so-"

"-troublesome?" I finished. "What is that, your catchphrase?"

"Women." He spat out. "Just tell me what happened, from when Kankuro left you to when I came in, and don't skimp on the details."

"Fine." I huffed, and started talking.

"Gods above I'm BORED!" I yelled.

It had been over two hours since Tsunade came back to collect Nara's report, checked me over, and yelled at the masked men to "find the bastard before I get mad!"

Then I was left alone.

Again.

"Why me?" I growled. "Kuso!"

I heard a snort and turned to my door.

My mouth fell open.

"You sound as bored as I feel." The hottie at the door grinned.

'_Well well well. So the Fire country does have it's own hunks after all. And here I thought they'd all be like Lee.'_

"What d'you expect, with everyone leaving me alone like this? With no entertainment either." I smirked.

"Aww. Shame. Who could bare to leave a pretty thing like you?" He leered. And winked.

_Oh! And he's a normal teenage boy as well!'_

I began to count off on my fingers.

"Lee, my attacker, Kankuro, Nara, Tsunade, and Gaara, albeit with threats of death to Nara."

"Nara…oh you mean Shikamaru!" He laughed. "Well, do you want _my_ opinion?"

"Sure, why not? Not like I've got anything better to do, ne?"

He grinned, showing fangs and strolled into the room. He gestured for me to move up on my bed. I did and he jumped on the bed next to me.

As he got comfortable I took a closer look.

Brown shaggy hair, brown eyes, those fangs, and a red stripe down each cheek.

'_Mmmmhmmm!'_

"Like what you see?" He smirked.

I shrugged. "Seen better, seen worse."

"Ouch!" He grinned again.

_Ðamn, he can grin!'_

"The kitten has claws, huh? Good. Good girls are so boring!"

He held out a hand.

"Kiba, by the way."

"Gemma."

"Thought as much. You got the whole hospital chasing its own tail."

"So I really am 'troublesome' huh?"

"Cute girls always are." He leant backwards and stretched.

I sighed to myself. Cute as he was, and nice as the flirting was, my heart just wasn't in it.

'_Damn you for your hotness Gaara!'_

"I believe you said something about an opinion."

"Oh, yeah!" He closed his eyes. "Well, let's start with Lee. He's totally 'in love' with Sakura to notice anyone else. Kankuro probably did notice you, and flirt with you. If he didn't I disown him. But he'll follow whatever Gaara tells him to do. Shikamaru finds relationships 'too troublesome' for words, and he and Temari are dancing around each other. And as for Gaara…" His grin widened. "Well, there are some interesting rumours going around about you and Gaara. Something about you hugging him and him threatening Shikamaru's life."

I snorted. "He didn't threaten Shikamaru."

His eyes widened. "You…_hugged _him?! And you're breathing?"

"Why does everybody assume bad stuff about him?" I snapped. I was fed up of hearing shit like that. Gaara was little aloof, true, but still.

"Sorry." Kiba sighed. "But if you'd known him before…no. I'm gonna let you make your own judgement, based on who he is now. Not on who he was."

I raised an eyebrow and blinked.

"Wow. There's a brain under all that shaggy hair, huh?"

Kiba laughed. "That's what I keep telling everybody, but no-one believes me."

He suddenly jumped off the bed. "Hey!" He grabbed my hand. "You wanna get out of here?"

I thought back to Tsunade's last words.

"_Remember kid. Don't, I repeat, DON'T leave the hospital."_

I sighed. "I'd better not. I'm not allowed to leave the hospital."

"So? Me either. I was thinking of visiting some buddies of mine. They got beat up pretty bad. They're still unconscious. I wouldn't mind some company."

I stared at his outstretched hand.

'_Tsunade didn't say I couldn't leave the room…and I am kinda bored."_

I grinned. "What the hell. Why not?"

_A.N – Yay! Kiba! Don't worry people! As you can see, Gemma's still enamoured with our favourite red-head! Please, please, please R&R!_


	13. Chapter 13

'What the Hell…'

'**What the Hell…'**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have a smaller gourd! I mean, how _doesn't _he have back problems?!

_A.N – Yay! Reviews!_

_Littleva – Ohh! You psychic! And it's a little of both I think. I mean, he spent time and energy rescuing her, and now she's gonna be raped. I don't think so._

_Anistacy – Thank you XXX_

_Hitorimono – Yay! The New Chapter Dance! I wonder if it's the same as mine lol._

**Chapter 13**

**Fatal Attraction!**

_**Hey guys! Kiba gets a POV in this chapter! Cool, ne?**_

_**Yeah! I rock!**_

_**Stop interrupting me and get on with it Kiba!**_

_**Yeah, yeah.**_

_I sighed. "I'd better not. I'm not allowed to leave the hospital."_

"_So? Me either. I was thinking of visiting some buddies of mine. They got beat up pretty bad. They're still unconscious. I wouldn't mind some company."_

_I stared at his outstretched hand._

'_Tsunade didn't say I couldn't leave the room…and I am kinda bored."_

_I grinned. "What the hell. Why not?"_

**Kiba's POV**

I stared at the girl walking beside me, taking in her appearance without the possible bodily harm checking out a girl usually resulted in.

Curly, black, shoulder-length hair, big green eyes and a smirk that was just deadly.

She was slim, but not skinny. She had some muscles on her too. I pegged her as either a martial artist or a dancer. She certainly had the grace of one.

The only visible flaw were the burn scars on her back, but even they had a edge to them.

Shame I wasn't really interested. My attraction lay elsewhere…

I sighed as she looked out the window. It was obvious she wanted to be outside as much as me.

'_We're both prisoners, heh.'_

The excuse to go see Neji, Choji and Naruto was just that, an excuse.

Shikamaru had appeared in my room an hour earlier.

"Troublesome women!" He had growled in answer to my question on what all the screaming was.

"Women? Or woman?" I'd asked with a grin, remembering that Temari was around.

"Just the one. That girl Lee and Gaara rescued. They say she fell through from another dimension."

"Is that even possible?" I'd asked, confused.

"Theoretically, yes." The lazy genius had yawned. "But it's never happened before. She has the density to be from another world. She hugged the psychopath for gods sake."

I had raised an eyebrow at that. "I HAVE to talk to this chick!"

"Go ahead. Maybe you can keep her entertained for a while."

And so I had…and hopefully I was.

I was enjoying myself at least.

The flirting was fun and harmless. I had my special person, and Gemma had Gaara…which I really didn't get, but who am I to judge?

She had a wicked tongue too. She could whip insults right back at 'cha.

I came out of my thoughts as we approached Choji's room.

Gemma nibbled her lower lip, obviously having second thoughts. I gently grabbed her arm.

"It's okay. He's probably still asleep. But, hey! Maybe he'll wake up if I tell him a cute girl's come to see him." I joked.

She smiled and allowed me to lead her into the room.

Choji was still asleep, as I thought. But there was a blonde girl in the seat beside him.

'_Please, gods above, don't let her say anything embarrassing to Gemma!'_ I prayed as I lifted a hand in greeting. "Hey Ino!"

She lifted her head and grinned at me.

"Hey there Kiba!"

**Gemma's POV**

I stared at the boy in the bed with a mixture of fascination and horror. He was so young, really. We all were.

And yet, here he was. Lying critically injured. And why?

I had no idea. No one would tell me. Only that it involved someone called Uchiha.

Kiba's voice cut me out of my depression.

"This is Gemma. Gemma, this is Ino. She's Choji's teammate."

The blonde grinned at me. "Hey! So you're the one everyone's going on about. I hear you hugged Gaara of the Desert."

'_Geez. Good news sure travels fast.'_ I thought with a sigh.

"So, are you keeping her _entertained_, Kiba?" Ino asked with deceptive innocence.

Kiba choked. "Not unless I want my balls sandpapered."

"Oh yeah! DO you mind if I ask you something?" The last part was directed at me.

"What?"

"When you hugged him, did he, like, blush?"

I blinked. Once. Twice. "Huh?"

"I mean," Ino continued "I always thought he'd be pretty damn cute if he blushed, right? I mean, he's hot already, with the hair and he tattoo. I mean, obviously he's not as hot as Sasu-" She slapped a hand over her mouth in horror and turned to Kiba.

"I'm sorry Kiba. You know how my mouth runs away sometimes. I wasn't thinking."

Kiba waved the apology off and stared at the boy in the bed, Choji, sadly.

I decided to break the silence.

"In order." I announced. Ino looked up at me surprised, and Kiba grinned.

"No he didn't. Yes he would. Yes he is. And I don't know who Sas is so I couldn't say." I tilted my head. "Is that everything."

Ino's small smile developed into a smirk. "Did he feel good?"

"INO!" Kiba roared.

"What? I'm just asking?" She grinned.

I struggled to keep the laugher inside. I kinda liked Ino.

"Oh yeah. He felt good."

_A.N –I'm not a big Ino fan, but I thought she and Gemma would get on. Please, please, please R&R!_


	14. Chapter 14

'What the Hell…'

'**What the Hell…'**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have … hehe … FANGIRLS!! LOTS OF 'EM!

_A.N – Yay! Reviews!_

_Littleva Thank you so much! It's really hard not to make him OCC but I'm trying my best! And um…not she's not much at the moment…but she will get just a lil powerful heheh._

_Hitorimono Aww! Doggy haircut…maybe I should steal that lol. What would Akamaru look like with a bow?_

**Chapter 14**

**The Infamous Naruto Uzumaki!**

_Ino's small smile developed into a smirk. "Did he feel good?"_

"_INO!" Kiba roared. _

"_What? I'm just asking?" She grinned._

_I struggled to keep the laugher inside. I kinda liked Ino._

"_Oh yeah. He felt good."_

Kiba was dragging me out of the room seconds after Ino and I stopped laughing at the look on his face. I barely had a chance to yell "See you later!", but I definitely heard a "Count on it!" as a reply.

"That girl…" Kiba's face was still bright red.

I snorted. "It was a valid question that I felt obligated to answer."

"HA! Maybe a should tell Gaara you think he feels good, eh?"

I think I might have killed him if looks could kill.

"You. Will. Not."

He gulped. "Okay, okay. Geez, anybody ever tell you you're scary when you glare? You and the psycho make a good couple."

The glare continued.

"…I'm gonna pay for calling him a psycho aren't I?"

"Oh yeah."

"Thought so." He sighed. Then brightened. "Hey! You wanna meet the infamous Naruto Uzumaki?"

Murderous Glare deactivated. "Really?"

"Sure. He's still out of it, but I don't see why not." He grabbed my hand again and pulled me along down the hall. "He's only a couple of doors away."

I struggled to keep up as he weaved through the various medics in the hall. "Sorry!"

Finally he stopped outside an open door. I peered in around him to see a pink haired girl sitting a chair with her head on the legs of a blonde boy. Kiba pushed me forward and gently shook the girl awake.

"Sakura? C'mon. If you're that tired you should go home already."

The girl lifted her head and smiled. "Hey Kiba. What'd I miss."

"Not a lot. I just brought someone to see the blonde idiot in person." He gestured to me. I waved nervously.

"Hi. I'm Gemma."

"Oh, right. The crazy girl." She grinned. "I'm Sakura."

"Nice to meet…the _crazy girl?!_"

Sakura laughed gently. "Shikamaru was here a little while back."

"I'll bloody kill the bastard!" I growled.

Kiba snorted. "He'd probably let you. Fighting back's too troublesome, right?"

I smirked, and made my way to the bed. The blonde was sleeping soundly.

"So. This is him huh? The one and only Naruto Uzumaki…he doesn't look so beat up to me! Kankuro said he was a mess!"

"Yeah, Naruto's always healed pretty fast." Sakura said softly. "I think he'll wake up soon."

Kiba laid a hand on her shoulder. "Sure he will. Can't keep the idiot down."

I looked back at Naruto. He was, just like Lee, Kiba, Choji…all of them, a kid. My age, probably younger.

"I agree with Kankuro. Whoever did this is a bastard of the first degree."

Sakura flinched and Kiba gave a sigh.

"…Oookay. What'd I miss? Why does everyone look like this whenever I mention this guy, whoever he is?"

"The Hokage will explain, I'm sure…when she's ready."

"Or I could just ask Gaara. I bet he'll give me a straight answer."

"More straight than you'll like." Kiba said warningly.

"Hmm." I looked out the window. The night was beginning to draw in, and I was still a little wiped. "You know what…I'm getting kinda sleepy. I'm gonna head back to my room."

Kiba looked up in surprise. "You sure? I was gonna show you Neji. He's really pretty…" He said in a tempting voice.

"Nah. Show me tomorrow. I doubt I'll be doing anything."

"Actually…" Sakura bit her lip. "I heard the Hokage say that Ibiki was gonna have to interview you tomorrow."

"Oh shit." Kiba groaned.

"Who's Ibiki?"

"A specialist in mental interrogation."

"…Oh, great. Let me find a container for my joy." I groaned along with Kiba.

"In that case, you'll need your sleep. I'll walk you back."

Kiba stretched and headed towards the door. "I'll come back with food, okay Sakura? Maybe the smell of ramen will wake him up."

Sakura gave a sad smile. "Yeah. That just might work."

I gave her a little wave as we left, which she returned.

"She and Ino are pretty brave, huh?" I murmured as Kiba and I headed back to my room.

"Yeah. They're ninja. We have to be brave sometimes."

"So. Is Sakura Naruto's girlfriend?"

Kiba burst out laughing, leaning against the wall to support himself. "Oh gods! Don't let her hear you say that! She'll kill you! Besides," he wiped a tear from his eye "even if he won't admit it, Naruto is definitely gay."

I raised an eyebrow. "And you know this because…"

"I have my reasons…and my ways!"

"Don't tell me you speak fag?"

"What the hell?"

"Sorry." I grinned. "Language barrier. You're gay?"

"I'm…" Kiba smirked. "Not fussy."

I snorted. "Lazy's more like it."

"No, if I want someone, I go get 'em. I'm just not bothered which sex they are."

"Oh. Sooo…who're you chasing at the moment?" I prodded him.

"None of yours. And no amount of puppy dog eyes will ever get me to admit that." Kiba said seriously.

'_Damn. There goes that idea.'_

"Can I try and guess?"

"Knock yourself out. I'll be able to see how good my acting skills are."

"Okay then…Lee!"

Kiba gave me a look of pure horror and disgust. "No amount of therapy will ever heal me from the mental images you just put in my head."

I laughed. "Sorry. How 'bout this Neji? You said he's pretty."

"He is. Damn pretty. But he's got a stick shoved so far up his ass it reaches his brain."

"Shikamaru?"

"No."

"Naruto?"

"HELL no!"

"Damn it!" I growled. "It's not Choji is it?"

"I only like pretty guys."

"Am I pretty?" I grinned.

"What, as a guy?"

I punched him. "Baka!"

"Okay, okay. Yes, you are. Very. In fact, you're adorable!"

I pouted at him. "That's not a good thing!"

"Aww! You're so cute!" Kiba gushed, throwing out his arms. "Gimme a hug!"

I smiled, and stepped forward to do just that.

Only to walk into a wall of sand.

'…_The hell?'_

_A.N – She forgot Gaara's no touching rule. Hehe. Please, please, please R&R!_


	15. Chapter 15

'What the Hell…'

'**What the Hell…'**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have something other than sand as a weapon! I mean, sand is cool and all, but what happens when you run out? He needs a big ass sword or something as back up!

_A.N – Yay! Reviews!_

_Hitorimono Aww poor doggy! Yeah, dancing in libraries tends to confuse people. Oh yes, there will be hair mocking!_

_Sarimia Yes, pity Kiba indeed._

**Chapter 15**

**You Are My Voodoo Child, My Voodoo Child!**

"_Okay, okay. Yes, you are. Very. In fact, you're adorable!"_

_I pouted at him. "That's not a good thing!"_

"_Aww! You're so cute!" Kiba gushed, throwing out his arms. "Gimme a hug!"_

_I smiled, and stepped forward to do just that. _

_Only to walk into a wall of sand._

'…_The hell?' _

I scowled at the sand wall, then turned to see Gaara staring at it blankly.

"Jebus Gaara! What is your trauma?" I yelled. "Lower the god-damned wall!"

He turned his head to look at me and his eyes flashed. "I told you not to let anyone touch you." He hissed.

"And I told _you_ to shove it up your arse, Gaara! I'm not your pet, or your possession. And if you carry on like this I won't be your friend either!"

Gaara's eyes narrowed. "So there are conditions to friendship? He never told me that."

I felt like yanking my hair out. "Gaara, just 'cause I touch other guys - and I never realised how wrong that sounds until now – doesn't mean they're any more important than you, or that they're replacing you as my friend, okay? It doesn't make any difference."

"But it obviously does. You are now angry with me, because I stopped you touching the Inuzuka."

"If you mean Kiba, I'm not really...it's just that...AHHHH! Kankuro! Where are you when I need you?!" I screamed.

"Did someone yell?"

"GYAH!" I jumped as Kankuro poofed beside me. "Don't do that!"

"Sorry."

I sighed. "Will you please explain to Gaara that I can touch other people without forgetting him...and to lower the sand wall that's currently surrounding Kiba."

"Kiba's in there?!" Kankuro looked frantic. "Damn it! Gaara, let him go. Right now!"

Gaara stared at him.

Kankuro growled. "Gaara, it's not often I tell you to do something, but I'm telling you now. Let. Kiba. Go!"

Gaara gave a huff, which could have been annoyance or submitance, and lowered the wall.

Kiba was sitting in his own personal sand suit. "Um, can someone please get me the HELL OUTTA HERE!"

"Gaara!" I yelled. "You put him in a sand coffin?!"

"He would have tried to get to you otherwise. I didn't kill him."

"I can see that-" I began, but Kankuro cut me off.

"We know that Gaara, and we appreciate it, but you can't just go around imprisoning Leaf ninja. The Hokage will get mad."

Gaara tilted his head, as if considering this. Then nodded and released Kiba.

Kankuro ran to him and put an arm under his shoulder to help him up. "You okay, man?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Kiba muttered.

"I'm sorry about Gaara."

"S'okay. If I liked her I wouldn't want other guys touching her either." Kiba smirked at me. "You're gonna have your hands full."

"Don't I know it." I growled, and gestured for Gaara to follow me. "It's a good job you're so cute, y'know? Else I'd be really mad."

Gaara raised an hairless brow, but followed me to my room.

I collapsed on the bed. "Okay. Explain to me a few things. One, why don't you want other people touching me?"

Gaara stood still, considering the question.

"I don't know. It's confusing. I know I want others to keep their distance, but I'm unsure as to why." He finally admitted. And, damn, if confusion on that usually emotionless face wasn't adorable!

'_Focus, Gemma, focus!'_

"Okay...well you'd better get used to it. I'm gonna touch other people. Shake hands, hug, all sorts of stuff. But I'll do the same to you, okay? You won't be excluded."

Gaara removed the gourd and sat in a chair in the corner of the room. "The terms are acceptable."

"It wasn't really up for negotiation." I mumbled. Then shook my head and continued. "Two, what's all-" **CRASH!**

I leapt up and Gaara's sand surrounded us.

The reason for the noise became clear, as Voodoo Duju picked himself up off the floor. "I really have to watch where I'm teleporting."

"You." Gaara snarled. "Die!"

"Whoa!" I stepped in front of him. "Down boy. I want some answers before you squish him, okay?"

"Thank you, child." Duju smiled. "Glad to see you've calmed down."

"I haven't. But you can't answer my questions if you're dead." I said emotionlessly.

"Point taken. Okay, what do you want to know?"

"Where am I is a good start."

"I would have thought that would have been obvious. You're in another dimension. There are millions...millions of millions." Duju made himself comfortable on the bed, and patted the mattress next to him.

I raised an eyebrow.

"I promise I won't hurt you. I never meant to startle you the first time. I was just so relieved you were safe."

I gave a nod, and sat next to him. Gaara followed and stood next to me, sand hissing threateningly.

"As I was saying. There are hundreds of thousands of dimensions inside dimensions. There are many ways your encounter with Kimimaro, that's the bone guy, could have gone. For each of those possibilities there is an alternate dimension. And so on. You have been removed from your own dimension and placed here."

"Why?"

"Because you were in danger." Duju said seriously. "You are, as I have already said, a Legendry. Your powers will start to emerge soon. There are five of you in total, but we have only found three, including you. The other two were paired and sent into another dimension two years ago. They survived and returned to your dimension. But their successes did not go unnoticed. There are those in the infinite universe that would destroy you and your, sisters, for lack of a better word. You needed protection. And knowing your personality and preferences, we examined the dimensions and came up with the perfect protector."

He pointedly stared at Gaara.

"Gaara?! Gaara's meant to protect me?"

"He already is. He saved you from Kimimaro. He was perfect."

"Why me? All I do is kill."

The question came from Gaara, and Duju smiled at it.

"Exactly. You believe that is all you're capable of. And yet, you saved Rock Lee and Gemma, and now you resent others having contact with her. Gemma will help you just as you will help her. Eventually, when Gemma's full powers are released, you will need her to protect you. You will save each other."

Gaara and I both stared at each other.

"Do you have any idea how corny that sounds?" I finally asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. But it's the truth. Out of all the Legendaries, you are the youngest and the most vulnerable. The others are safe in their own dimension, but you had threats inside your own home."

I appreciated him not saying more...Gaara was staring at me in interest, and I could tell there were gonna be questions about those threats later on. There was one other point though...

"Did you anticipate me wanting to jump his bones?" I asked.

"Yes. We were sully aware that you would find him attractive." Duju said idly.

I groaned. "Y'know, I purposely said it in a way he wouldn't understand, and you just ruined the effort."

"You find me...attractive?" Gaara looked stunned.

"And on that note!" Duju smiled, and poofed away.

"Get back here you no good bastard of a witchdoctor."

"Why would you find me attractive?"

"Oh GODS!" I yelled, and ran into the bathroom.

'_Safe!'_

_A.N – Oh poor Gemma! Love is harsh! Please, please, please R&R!_


	16. Chapter 16

'What the Hell…'

'**What the Hell…'**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have a DDR machine! Gaara, of the FUNK!

_A.N – Yay! Reviews!_

_Littleva Thank you so much for always reviewing. It means a lot and gives me confidence! Oh, they have. Remember Kanky mentioned fangirls...and yup! I'm sure he does. And he'll find out soon...in an awkward way! Mwahahaha!_

_Hitorimono Oh! I'm sorry I nearly got you in trouble! I used to do that at school too. Thanks for always reviewing!_

_Friglit Heh! You used the phrase 'giddy aunt'! It's been AGES since I heard that expression! Yay! Thanks and good luck with that revision!_

_Of.Two.Minds Thanks dude! Will do!_

**Chapter 16**

**Battle of...Wits?!**

_**This time it's Temari's turn for a POV!**_

_**Yeah! Enjoy!**_

"_You find me...attractive?" Gaara looked stunned. _

"_And on that note!" Duju smiled, and poofed away._

"_Get back here you no good bastard of a witchdoctor."_

"_Why would you find me attractive?"_

"_Oh GODS!" I yelled, and ran into the bathroom._

'_Safe!'_

I have _no_ idea how long I stayed in that bathroom, since it was evening when I went in, but it must have been a while since I fell asleep, clutching a bath-pillow.

My last coherent thought was; _'Why do they have a bath-pillow when there's only a shower?'_

Next thing I knew someone's knocking on the door. None to gently either.

"Hey kid! It's Gemma, right? It's 2am kiddo. C'mon, come out of there."

I didn't recognise the voice, but since it wasn't male, wasn't monotone and wasn't asking embarrassing questions I felt it was safe to answer.

"Is he gone?"

The voice chuckled. "Yeah, he's gone. The Hokage called him into her office a few hours ago. Something about imprisoning her patients in sand coffins."

I gave a yawn and stood up. Wobbling slightly I unlocked the door and stepped out, rubbing my eyes and still clutching the bath-pillow.

The voice belonged to a tall, blonde woman with her hair in four bunches. When I first opened the door she had a Cheshire cat grin on her face. But it quickly dissolved into an 'AWW' face, and I found myself pressed into a quite ample bosom as she hugged me.

"You are just toooo cute!" She cooed.

I sighed heavily and waited for the hug to end. I got this reaction a lot from older women I didn't know. A LOT! I was surprised Tsunade hadn't tried it...but then I hadn't been half asleep and clutching a bath-pillow like a teddy when I'd met her.

It gets really irritating. It's probably the cause of half my piercings and my punk look.

Wasn't deterring this one though.

"Oxygen...deprivation..." I gasped out.

'_Death by breasts...you know that's gonna be on the Sun's front page.'_

"Oh! Sorry!" She let me go and gave me an apologetic look. "Sorry about leaving you so long too. But no-one knew you were in there except Gaara, and he didn't mention it until _after_ the Hokage was done yelling at him. Asked how strong the bathroom doors were and how much it would cost to replace 'em...amongst other things."

I huffed. "If he was _that_ bothered he could have teleported in there...I've seen him do it."

"Yeah, I dunno why he didn't. He usually does. He's being unusually...I'm not sure reserved is the right word here...but he acts differently around you. Apparently."

"How so?" I yawned, making my way over to the bed. The girl's voice was actually quite soothing...and it was 2am for Goddess' sake.

"Well, it depends. If he doesn't mind them he'll tolerate them. If he dislikes them he'll threaten them. Usually he just ignores them. But you...he's curious about you. And that in itself isn't unusual, but going through all this trouble is."

"Hmm." I said sleepily. It all sounded very nice...but I was so tired.

The woman's voice became gradually fainter as I drifted off to sleep.

**Temari's POV**

It took me a second to realise the girl, Gemma, had fallen asleep. At first I was annoyed.

I mean, I _was_ talking to her. But she looked so adorable!

After years having to watch every step around Gaara I was finally getting a chance to act like a big sister...and my 'big-sis' tendencies, as Kankuro called them, were getting the better of me lately. It wasn't just Gemma. I'd been to see almost every Leaf shinobi I knew in the hospital. Even Uzumaki!

I reached down and slowly pulled the blanket over the sleeping girl.

Gaara really was fascinated by her. But had no clue as to why.

My 'big-sis' head filled with visions of the two of them declaring their love for each other, getting married, having children...

'_Snap OUT of it Temari!'_

I sighed and shook my head. _'Never gonna happen.'_

Gaara believed himself incapable of love.

I knew this wasn't true. He loved Kankuro and me, in his own way. Even before. He'd threatened us many times...but had never followed it through.

It was true he wasn't the best person at expressing affection, but I could tell.

I stared down at Gemma.

Would she still find Gaara so 'attractive' if she knew what he was, what he is, what he could become?

I wanted to believe she would. That she would accept him and at least be his friend. Like Uzumaki...and that Lee kid now too.

She was from another world, after all. Maybe things like this happened all the time there.

'_Maybe...'_

"Temari. She hugged him."

I didn't turn. I knew what I'd see.

Shikamaru Nara. The laziest and most irritating boy I'd ever met! Probably leaning against the doorframe because he was too lazy to support his own weight.

He began to wander in...I could feel him getting closer and I resisted the urge to pummel him.

I hated how he could get inside my head so easily.

For a long time he just stood behind me.

"He was loosing it big time. He looked damn scary, ready to kill. And she didn't even blink. She did it automatically. Just got up and hugged him. Even told him not to have a 'hissy fit', whatever that is."

I turned to him to tell him I knew all this! I read the damn report! Then it suddenly hit me what he was trying to tell me.

'_She's not afraid. She's not afraid of him!'_

Shikamaru gave me a searching look, then nodded and turned to leave.

"Wait!" I choked on the word and covered my mouth with one hand. I screamed silently at myself.

'_How?! How the hell can he turn me from strong shinobi to giggling schoolgirl in five minutes? He's a cry-baby, and a asshole, and lazy and-'_

"You should get some sleep." I looked up to see him smirking. "You'll loose your looks if you keep staying up so late."

He walked out of the room.

I swear, I went red! I took one last look at Gemma, smiled, and chased after Shikamaru.

"You no good lazy son-of-a-bitch! Who the hell do you think you're talking to?! I _knew_ I should have left your lazy ass in those woods-"

My mouth continued on autopilot. My mind was whirring. He always did this! Like he was deliberately trying to get me stirred up.

That's when it hit me, he _was_!

He knew how much rage I held inside, and how I couldn't bare to take it out on Gaara or Kankuro.

So he let me let loose on him.

And he'd still be there tomorrow. Ready to take my challenge of a game of Shoji or Go.

'_Thank you.'_ I said silently.

And continued my ranting.

_A.N – Aw! I hope Temari's not too OCC here. Please, please, please R&R!_


	17. Chapter 17

'What the Hell…'

'**What the Hell…'**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have a laptop...so he could read my fanfiction...even if it means my death!

_A.N – Yay! Reviews!_

_Hitorimono – Thanks for the support. I really did think Temari was OCC, but I'm glad you thought she was okay. Thanks!_

_Akizu Miko – Thanks for the review. Glad you like it!_

**Chapter 17**

**Revelations and Interrogation!**

_He knew how much rage I held inside, and how I couldn't bare to take it out on Gaara or Kankuro._

_So he let me let loose on him._

_And he'd still be there tomorrow. Ready to take my challenge of a game of Shoji or Go._

'_Thank you.' I said silently._

_And continued my ranting._

_Gemma POV_

I woke up to hear a firm knock on my door. I sat up quickly and groaned. I had fallen asleep in my clothes...and with the bath pillow. My eyes widened.

'_And that girl was talking to me...I must have seemed so rude!'_

I sighed. Not much I could do about it now. I'd ask Kiba or Kankuro about her later, and apologise.

I mentally made plans to kill Gaara for imprisoning me in a bathroom.

The knock came again.

'_Oh right...guests.'_

"Just gimme one sec and I'll be with you!" I yelled, hiding the bath pillow. I straightened my clothes, tidied the bed and sat on the window ledge. "Okay, come on in!"

The door opened to reveal a _huge_ guy in a black trench coat. And by huge I mean tall, muscled...and scary!

'_Gulp! What's the betting this is my interrogator?'_

"Good morning Gemma. I trust you slept well." He smiled.

'_...Ooookay. So it's mental interrogation is it? Right you are.'_

"I've slept better, but yeah. Once I got out of the bathroom I was okay."

He gave another smile, and sat down in one of the free chairs. "So. I need some basic information on you. Is that okay?"

I shrugged. "S'okay, yeah. I was warned by the way. You're Ibiki, right?"

He laughed. "Yes. Sorry for not introducing myself. You were...warned you say?"

"Yup. You have quite a rep, y'know?"

"Hmm. You must have talked to the Genins that took the Chunnin exam last year."

"Dunno. I talked to Kiba and Ino."

"Ah, yes. Well, I assure you, as long as you're not a ninja from a rival village, I'm not so bad."

"Right. Well, you be the judge. You're not gonna believe my word...that's the entire point, ne?"

He nodded. "Very astute. I've already interviewed the people you have spoken to-"

I cut him off with a snort. "I'll bet it was fun with Gaara, huh?"

"Actually, he was one of the better interviews. He answers truthfully and without embarrassment."

"Oh...thinking about it yeah. I suppose he would be...okay then! Fire away!"

Ibiki nodded and pulled a clipboard out (from where I don't ever want to find out!).

"Okay, let's start simply. Please answer all the questions, no matter how personal or pointless they seem."

"Yosh!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Name?"

"Gemma...Jemima...Atkin."

"Age and date of birth?"

"Fourteen, and the fourteenth of March 1993."

Another eyebrow. I ignored it.

"Is that your natural hair colour?"

"Nope. It's dyed. It's naturally a kinda coppery red."

"Eyes?"

"They're natural. It's from my mum's side."

"Family?"

"You had to ask...okay. Dad is Thomas Atkin. Mum was Harriet Atkin, formally Malstone. I've got four sisters, Harriet, Christine, Susan and Sally. In age order."

"Where do you fit in?"

"I'm the second youngest."

"Reason for mother's death?"

"She killed herself."

That made him look up. I knew it would. I knew what he was thinking too. 'Is it a sob story to make me feel sorry for her? Is it to blend in?'

"Explain please."

"She got post-natal depression and hung herself. I'll go into more detail if you want, but I'd rather not."

He shook his head. "That's fine. Is your last sister your full sister?"

"Yes."

"Were you ever abused by your mother?"

"No. Absolutely not."

"By your father?"

"Physically, yes. But not sexually."

"Are the burn scars a result of this?"

"Yes, but please don't ask me to explain unless it's necessary."

"...Very well. Are you, at present, a virgin?"

"Yes."

"Your place of birth and residence please."

"Maidstone, born and raised. Maidstone's in England, an island off the coast of Europe."

"Hmm." He leaned forward. "Do you believe you fell through into a different dimension?"

'_Ah! The 'is she insane' question!'_

"I honestly don't know, but it would explain the fact that ninjas are extinct where I come from, and only came from one country, called Japan. And they didn't have abilities like you guys." I grinned. "Besides...shouldn't you be interviewing that weirdo witchdoctor about that?"

He sighed. "If we could find him. Very well. Into the seemingly pointless questions." He smiled. "You're a clever girl aren't you? It's not just physical abuse your father subjected you to is it? You seem a little too comfortable with this."

I smiled. "I did a psychology course outside school. And I was interrogated by the police when I got my burns."

"Thought so. You're fully aware I'll get whatever information I need out of you, aren't you?"

"They wouldn't have send you otherwise."

"Right then. Is it true you find Gaara of the Desert sexually attractive?"

I couldn't help the blush, but kept my voice steady (thank the goddess). "Yes, I suppose. I find him attractive, but I can honestly say the thought of sex hasn't crossed my mind. I'm underage after all."

"No."

"Huh?"

"No, you're not. Legally you can have sex at fourteen."

I gave a yelp and fell off the window seat. "NANI?! Not where I come from! It's sixteen, and I'll bloody well stick to that!"

He chuckled. "Strange how that piece of information disturbs you more than talking about your abuse." He looked at his clipboard. "That will do I think."

"What's the verdict?"

He looked up. "Excuse me?"

"Am I a evil ninja, or insane?"

He let loose a genuine smile. "Well, you're not an 'evil ninja'."

"Gee, thanks." I huffed and plonked myself on the bed. "Teme."

"Two last questions. How come half your words are understandable and the others aren't?"

"Oh! It's a fangirl thing. Any word you don't understand is probably Japanese. The result of reading too much manga and watching to much anime!"

He shook his head. "And finally, what were you doing before I came in?"

"Hiding the bath-pillow."

"...Okay, you're insane." And with that he was gone.

_A.N – If anyone's interested, my pics of Gemma and Gaara can be seen here picasaweb./Luna.Wren/WhatTheHellImages. Please, please, please R&R!_


	18. Chapter 18

'What the Hell…'

'**What the Hell…'**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have someone to care for him!

_A.N – Yay! Reviews!_

_Akizu Miko – Thanks a lot! I'm glad I made you laugh._

_Friglit – Glad you liked it. Thanks for reviewing._

_Littleva - ...Ew. Ibiki and Sexy should never be put in the same sentence. Ah, it wasn't so much the questions themselves so much as how she answered them! Psychology...gotta love it. And yes, we all love NaruxSasu! Thanks!_

_Hitorimono – Thanks dude! It's gonna get a bit more serious for a while I'm afraid._

**Chapter 18**

**Legacy of the Dragon!**

_**Okay guys, this whole chapter is Lady Tsunade's POV!**_

_**Why do I have to write a whole chapter kid?**_

'_**Cause no-one else was at the meeting, Lord Hokage!**_

_**Urgh. You owe me sake.**_

"_Two last questions. How come half your words are understandable and the others aren't?"_

"_Oh! It's a fangirl thing. Any word you don't understand is probably Japanese. The result of reading too much manga and watching to much anime!"_

_He shook his head. "And finally, what were you doing before I came in?"_

"_Hiding the bath-pillow."_

"_...Okay, you're insane." And with that he was gone._

**Tsunade's POV**

I was slowly going out of my mind.

Ibiki had deposited the kid's evaluation on my desk a few hours earlier, happily announcing "She's a perfectly normal teenaged girl."

Wonderful. That still didn't answer the question of what exactly I was going to do with her!

"Honestly! What kind of idiot deposits a girl in the middle of a battle and just leaves her?" I wondered aloud.

"The kind that knows danger is needed to unlock her powers." A voice to my left replied.

I turned and faced the voice with surprise. Leaning against one of the windows of my office was an old, wizened man with dark skin, white hair in dreadlocks and a...somewhat skimpy garment of clothing that made me shudder.

"Voodoo Duju, I presume." I said calmly. I'd pound him later, _after_ I got him to take the kid home.

"Indeed, Lord Hokage." He turned and gave me a toothy grin. "I hear you've been looking for me."

"Yes. I'm impressed you managed to hide yourself so well."

"Don't be. When I disappear I travel to another dimension, so it would be impossible for your shinobi to track me."

My fists clenched. "So you're saying we were right. She is from another dimension."

"Yes. One that is so very different to your's."

"Take her back."

"No."

I growled. "She doesn't belong here! If she stays she'll get herself or others killed!"

"And if she remained in her own world she would have been murdered for sure." He yelled at me. Then calmed himself down. "Please, Lord Hokage, Lady Tsunade. Understand that it was not our want to...imprison her here, for want of a better word. But she will be safer here than in her own world. Surely that desert brat has told you I said as much."

"He did. That doesn't mean I believe it. Show me proof."

"Of what?"

"That she's from another dimension, that she's in danger. Hell, prove to me she has powers!" I slammed my fists on the desk, causing indents that I knew couldn't be removed.

"...Alright."

I blinked. "What?"

"Alright. I'll give you proof. Will one of Gemma's...sisters suffice?"

"You would pull children from their world with no warning-"

"No! Not her blood sisters." He grinned. "Another legendary, who insisted on accompanying me to talk to you."

"That's 'cause your people skills suck you toothy bastard."

I turned to see a girl, no, a _woman_ standing by my bookcase, examining it with care. She had long brown hair and was dressed completely in black. She turned to show a pale face with black eyes and lips.

She looked positively demonic...if not for the childish grin on her face.

"Ignore the old sod. He's not so good with the persuasion." She smiled at me.

"And you are?" I flared my chakra. I could deal with them both on my own, but I suspected Ibiki would like them in one piece to interrogate.

"Name's Jenni. I'm the Phoenix." She grinned. "Susie would have been better at this, I'm sure. But she refuses to cross into this world other than to meet our new little monster."

"Jennifer!" The old man howled. "That. Will. Not. Help! Don't call yourselves monsters!"

The girl growled and crossed the room, fist clenched threateningly. "What have I told about calling me that, you sorry excuse for a witchdoctor?!"

He squeaked and lunged behind me. I raised an eyebrow.

"You expect me to protect you?"

He looked at me. "Um, yes?"

I grinned. And moved out of the way.

The girl smirked at Duju and clenched her fist tighter.

To my astonishment, it caught alight! It blazed with a fury I had only seen in the most devastating forest fires.

Duju trembled. " Stop, or I won't let you see her!"

The girl growled, but extinguished her flame.

Duju sighed. And turned to me.

"Unfortunately, Jenni is a bad example of what a Legendary is capable of. She's rather...violent. The only person she refuses to touch is her partner, Susie. The Unicorn."

I rubbed my temples and sat back down in my chair.

"You said Gemma's the Dragon. That means she'll have powers like that?"

"Not exactly. Her element is wind and air. We're not entirely sure how it will emerge. We did not know, for example, that Jenni's flames would encompass her body when fully lit."

"But she will have power?"

"Oh, yes. Her powers are that of offence, we are sure. So are Jenni's. Susie's, on the other hand, are defensive."

"So why does she need protecting?"

"Because our powers are useless in our own world."

The answer came from the girl, who was sitting on the edge of _my_ desk, looking at her hand sadly. "And even if they did, she has no idea how to use them. I've been a Legendary for three years in my world. More if you count the years I've spent in other dimensions. And mine still aren't fully developed."

"Though they are significantly more advanced than they should be." Duju added dryly.

"Yeah, well. That's 'cause I let it out."

"Let what out?" I asked apprehensively.

"The Phoenix, of course. I let it out. And it drove me insane. I went Dark Phoenix on their asses." She said with a nervous smile.

"So these, _creatures_, they can get out?!"

"Yes." Duju confirmed.

"And they drive their hosts insane."

"Not if released under the right circumstances."

"GODDAMMIT!" I yelled. "YOU PLACED A POSSIBLY DANGEROUS, UNCONTROLABLE CREATURE IN A FOURTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL'S BODY?! WHAT KIND OF MONSTERS ARE YOU?!"

Jenni winced slightly. "Yeah, she is a little young. Me and Susie were seventeen. But it can't be helped. But she'll be fine! You live with a nine-tailed fox and let a one-tailed racoon-dog in your village. I don't see that one little Dragon will make much difference.

My face drained of blood. "You-you know about Naruto? And the Desert brat?"

She nodded. "Hence why I was sent, Lady Tsunade, legendary sanin. Grand-daughter of the First Hokage and student of the Third."

I stood back up again, so quickly my knees hit the desk.

"How?"

"It doesn't matter. I can do no harm in your dimension. And Gemma won't."

"How can you be sure?"

"There are only two ways the creatures inside us can be let out; through a desire to protect, or a desire for revenge."

My knees were shaking with anger. "But why here? Out of all the dimension?"

"We had to chose somewhere she would fit in, and we needed someone to protect her." Duju chimed in. "The ninja of this world are strong and friendly for the most part. The genin's are her age. And Gaara is strong enough to care for her until her full strength is realised."

"Please keep her."

I turned to the girl who had spoken. She was staring at me with pleading eyes. "Please. Talk to the Council of Suna. Ask them to accept her. They already have one unpredictable weapon, I know. But she could help protect the village. If necessary, once she's strong enough, she could even protect it from Gaara himself."

I let out a sigh, weighing the options in my mind.

'_On the one hand, having another person who can defeat Gaara in Suna isn't a bad idea. But what happens if she looses it? Still, they said only a desire to protect or revenge would release it...'_

"What happens if Gaara or any of the other friends she has made are in danger?"

The girl brightened. "That's not a problem. If she releases the Dragon to protect someone, its power will be pure." Her face turned stormy. "The only reason I lost it was because I was trying to take revenge."

'_... I must be out of my mind...'_

"Alright. I accept. I'll keep her here and write to Suna. But if they chose not to accept her-"

"We'll have to remove her. It's imperative she stays with Gaara." Duju emphasized.

The Jenni grinned and flashed me a thumbs up.

"Thank you Lady Tsunade! You won't regret it!"

And with a wave, they were both gone.

'_What on earth am I letting myself in for?'_

_A.N –Phew! I thought some explanation was needed. Please, please, please R&R!_


	19. Chapter 19

'What the Hell…'

'**What the Hell…'**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have a father who wasn't a bastard-son-of-a-bitch!

_A.N – Yay! Reviews!_

_Hitorimono – I'm glad it wasn't too boring. Stuff needed explaining._

_Littleva – LOL Yeah, but you try suggesting to Duju that he wears something other than a loincloth._

_SnowsShadows – Yay! New reviewer! You're the second person who's said Duju reminds them of Jiraiya lol. I think he's a little less perverted. _

**Chapter 19**

**Lullaby!**

"_Alright. I accept. I'll keep her here and write to Suna. But if they chose not to accept her-"_

"_We'll have to remove her. It's imperative she stays with Gaara." Duju emphasized. _

_The Jenni grinned and flashed me a thumbs up._

"_Thank you Lady Tsunade! You won't regret it!"_

_And with a wave, they were both gone._

'_What on earth am I letting myself in for?' _

Gemma's POV

The previous day, other than Ibiki's interrogation, had been boring to say the least. I had done absolutely nothing. In the end, I just changed my clothes to some one of the medic nins brought me, had a shower, noted with regret that my hair dye was fading, and went back to sleep.

I awoke early to find myself curled up in a foetal on the bed. I stretched, yawned, showered and put on my own clothes.

And waited. And waited. And –

"Oh COME ON!" I screamed. "I can't stand being trapped in this place for one more bloody day!"

I heard a snort outside my door.

'_Finally!'_

"You know what? I don't care if you're an evil ninja or a ugly evil bone guy! I'm gonna die of boredom anyways, so come on in!"

The door opened slightly, and I was given the one sight I hadn't expected to see.

"Man, you're loud. Believe it!"

I stared. "Naruto...Uzumaki?"

He grinned. "The one and only! Heard you came to visit me while I was asleep. Thought I'd do the same. Only, you're awake. So I get to say hi instead!" He bounced over to be and sat on the bed, wincing slightly.

I raised an eyebrow. "Should you be out of bed?"

"Nope. But I was bored too." He laughed. He was still covered in bandages, and his blue eyes didn't match the smile on his face. But what the hey? I was lonely, and he was bored.

'_Might as well talk to him.'_

"So I hear you've been giving Gaara a hard time."

I jerked my head up. "What?"

He laughed again. "Hugging him, telling him you two are friends. That you're _attracted_ to him? That he's cute?" He had tears rolling down his face at that point. "He doesn't know what's hit him! Believe it!"

I gave a sigh. "Yeah. Y'know, if people keep going on about it I'm gonna assume I did something wrong and treat him like everyone else does."

"Don't."

The word came out so sharply and so seriously I honestly thought someone else had entered the room. But Naruto's eyes stared at me with an intensity that burned through me.

"Don't think like that. No matter what you're told, no matter what he does or says. No matter how...psycho he seems. Please. Just keep treating him like you are now. Be his friend. Be precious to him, and make him precious to you. God knows he needs someone precious after all he'd been through. He deserves one person, even if it's just one, to see him as a person. Not a monster."

I gulped.

_Jebus, is this the same boy?'_

I nodded, firmly. "I will. I promise."

And just like that, the stupid grin was back on his face.

"Hey, you wanna go see if Neji's awake yet? Kiba said you wanted to see him!"

"You've spoken to Kiba?"

"Why do you think you were alone yesterday?" He looked sheepish. "Everyone came to see me, either to say 'Get better soon' or to hit me."

I laughed. "Right you are then. Let's go see sleeping beauty!"

"Alright! Believe it!"

"Stop saying that."

"What?"

"...Never mind."

Neji was both still asleep and beautiful.

Stunningly so.

Luckily I don't go for beautiful guys. So Gaara was safe.

He was pale, slim, had delicate features and long brown hair.

But from what Naruto was babbling in my ear, for all his delicacy he was an incredible fighter!

And yet here he lay. In intensive care.

Was this the life these boys chose?

I made a decision right there and then, staring at Neji's pale form.

If I could go with Gaara, I would. I would do as Voodoo Duju asked.

'Cause Goddess knows I wouldn't last long on my own if the enemies of this world were all like Bonehead.

And besides, I had a promise to keep to Naruto.

I jumped as the door flew open. I turned to see Tsunade strolling in, looking at a medical chart in her hands. She looked up with surprise, but smiled when she saw me here.

"Decided to see what all the fuss was about, hm?"

I nodded, and took a deep breath. "Hokage! Please let me return with Gaara and his siblings to their country!"

She blinked at me in surprise. "Well, yes. That was the plan. I sent a scroll to the Suna Council of Elders to see if they would accept you as a citizen of Suna yesterday."

I gave a little 'ergh?' of surprise, but grinned. "Great!"

Tsunade smiled and opened her mouth to say more, when she spotted Naruto cowering behind me. "YOU! Get back to bed at once brat! Do you now how long we worked at getting you fixed up?"

Naruto 'eeped' and ran out of the room, Tsunade at his heels.

I laughed loudly, feeling better already.

I turned back to Neji and smiled. "Wake up soon, okay? I wanna meet you and Choji before I leave."

I gave him one final look, and headed back to my room.

The rest of the day was a blur. Tsunade came in briefly, and told me the details of her meeting with Voodoo Duju and my 'sister' Jenni. I hoped I could meet her soon. She sounded like me.

The rest of the time I slept.

Unfortunately, this lead to a rather large problem...when night finally came I couldn't sleep to save my life. I spent three hours tossing and turning before giving up and deciding to see if the hospital had a balcony so I could get some fresh air. If not, the roof would do.

I wandered the halls for about half an hour before discovering all the balconies were locked. I gave a heavy sigh and made my way up to the roof. Luckily, this was locked with a variation on the Yale lock. I learnt to pick them when I was ten.

The first breath of fresh air hit me like a cannonball.

It was cold and crisp and utterly perfect after three days trapped in a hospital. I gave a sigh of contentment, and settled myself on a ledge.

I gazed at the village below me. It was huge! More like a city. Hundreds of rooftops and balconies and...telephone poles?!

'_Where in the hell...I haven't seen any telephones!'_

"Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"GAHH!"

I almost fell off the roof at the voice in my ear. I turned to glare at Gaara angrily.

"Don't fucking do that!"

Gaara just stared at me and repeated his question; "You should be asleep."

"I spent virtually the whole day asleep. I'm not tired. What about you?"

"I don't sleep."

I raised an eyebrow. "Ooookay. Anyways, where have you been for the past couple of days? I've been so bored."

"The Hokage requested I only visit you with an escort."

I sniggered. "That's what you get for trapping her ninja in sand coffins."

He stared at me. "He was touching you."

"...And we're full circle. Gaara, we've discussed this. Anyway, if you can't see me without an escort, what are you doing here?"

"You are not inside the hospital. She didn't mention outside it."

I smirked. "That's called a loophole."

"It's her own fault if she does not make things clear."

"C'mon, admit it! You wanted to see me!" I leant back on my hands, looking sideways at Gaara.

"Yes, I did."

And almost fell off again.

"You-you did? Why?"

"I don't know. I'm supposed to protect you anyway, aren't I?" He gave me a searching look. "That old man said so. And the Hokage has told us we are to take you back to Suna if the Council agrees."

"Well, I'm not all ninja-fied and I'd probably die if I was on my own. So it's a good plan!"

He 'hned' and stared at the view.

And, yes, unfortunately I mean the village.

I grew bored with the silence and began to sing a lullaby my mums used to sing to me when I was little.

"See the stars shining, hear the bird call.

Ah, 'tis the nightingale, singing all alone.

But I'm here with you child, so be not afraid.

Sleep 'til the dawn comes, I will keep you safe."

I stopped when I felt a bump against my shoulder. I turned to see Gaara leaning against me, sound asleep.

"Hm. You don't sleep huh?" I whispered, gently adjusting him so he wouldn't get a cricked neck. "You seem pretty asleep to me."

I kept singing until I saw the sun rising, then finally fell asleep myself.

_A.N –Note people...it is not advisable to fall asleep on rooftops. And, egad! No Shukaku! Please, please, please R&R!_


	20. Chapter 20

'What the Hell…'

'**What the Hell…'**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have a student who can say more than "Gaara-sensei!" over, and over, and over!

_**OKAY GUYS! I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE'S NOTICED THAT THE DISCLAIMER CHANGES EACH TIME, BUT I'M RUNNING OUT OF IDEAS OF THINGS FOR GAARA TO HAVE! PLEASE PUT SUGGESTIONS IN YOUR REVIEWS! I PROMISE TO PUT ALL AND ANY SUGESTIONS IN WITH THE NAME OF THE PERSON THAT OFFERED IT! THANKS!**_

_A.N – Yay! Reviews!_

_Akizo Miko – Aw! Thanks!_

_Morgans-ray-of-light – Here you go!_

_-2-rena-2-parania-2 – Thanks!_

_Friglit – Yay! Happy dances!_

_Littleva – Aw, thanks! Yeah, you know Gaara's gotta look cute when he's asleep. And 'Gemma' and 'Innocent' don't go together lol!_

**Chapter 20**

**Uncontrollable Power!**

_I stopped when I felt a bump against my shoulder. I turned to see Gaara leaning against me, sound asleep._

"_Hm. You don't sleep huh?" I whispered, gently adjusting him so he wouldn't get a cricked neck. "You seem pretty asleep to me."_

_I kept singing until I saw the sun rising, then finally fell asleep myself._

I jumped awake to a yell from the other side of the roof.

"GYAHHHHH!! TEMARI! GAARA'S ASLEEP!"

I craned my neck to see Kankuro staring at me with a look of pure horror on his face.

"Yeah, he fell asleep. What's the big deal?" I asked, yawning and trying to push Gaara off my shoulder. It didn't work.

"He-you-but-Gaara doesn't sleep! He can't! If he does then-mph!"

The blonde girl from the other night appeared beside him and clamped her hand over his mouth. "Shut UP, Kankuro!"

I blinked, and my sleepy mind slowly began to make the connections. Blonde, talked to me about Gaara, now here because Kankuro called her, named Temari...ohmygod!

I lifted a hand and pointed at her. "You're Gaara's sister!"

She and Kankuro both blinked at me. "Yes...and?"

"Heh. Knew it. You want I wake him up?"

"NO!" The two yelled at me so loud I swear my hair flew backwards.

"Alright, alright already. Mah, mah." I groaned. "Can I wake him up sometime soon? He's heavy."

"I don't understand..." Temari murmured. "Gaara never lets himself fall asleep. He knows the dangers better than any of us." She stared at me. "What did you do?"

I shrugged. "I sang a lullaby. He said he didn't sleep so I didn't think it would bother him."

"When was this?"

"Early this morning."

Kankuro's mouth was wordlessly opening and closing. "He's been asleep _that long?!_"

"Yeah. So? It'll do him some good."

"But he doesn't sleep kid! You don't seem to be getting the message!"

"What? Ever?"

"No!"

That made me raise an eyebrow and look at the sleeping boy on my shoulder. He looked sexy as hell awake, but asleep...I was struggling not to scream "KAWAII!" at the top of my voice. Curiously I raised my fingertip to his eyelid and rubbed gently.

"So, it's not eyeliner."

Temari let out a gasp and pulled a huge black...thing from her back.

'_What is it with these guys and stuff on their backs? Don't they get back pains?'_

"Gemma, just slowly get yourself out from under him and walk towards us. Be careful."

I rolled my eyes. "Tried that already. He's too heavy. I'll have to wake him up. Relax! I know a gentle way if he's not a morning person."

Kankuro laid a hand on his sister's arm. "We don't have to many options here, Temari. I say let her try and wake him up. He's not any good asleep. Besides, isn't awake the state we want him in?"

"I'm more worried about what _else_ she might wake up."

"If that was gonna happen it would have already!" Kankuro argued.

I ignored them and gently tickled the bridge of Gaara's nose with my fore-finger. He wrinkled it (which was adorable) but didn't wake up.

'_Hm. That always worked on Sally...maybe a different spot...'_

I drew my nail across the pulse point on Gaara's neck. He shuddered and I gave a snort.

'_Gotcha!'_

"Wake up, Gaara. I think your siblings have gone insane." I murmured, dragging my other nails across his cheek gently.

He let out a huff and slowly opened his eyes. And blinked in confusion.

"Welcome to the world of the living." I smiled.

He sat up swiftly, staring at me, then at Temari and Kankuro.

"What did he do?"

"_He_ didn't appear." Temari said, breathing out a sigh of relief. "You just slept. Gemma's been with you the whole time."

He turned back to me. "I didn't...hurt you?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Did you expect to?"

"I don't sleep." He got up and walked to his siblings. "I need to find out what happened."

I gave a huff. "Well, I'd better get to my room before Tsunade finds out I'm gone and throws a hissy fit."

Kankuro nodded. "I'd come with you kid, but we really need to find out what happened to Gaara."

I waved a hand. "Chill. I think I can remember my way."

I wandered down the third flight of stairs and began to make my way back to my room.

'_Man! Temari and Kankuro were freaked. Guess Gaara really doesn't sleep. But what did he mean about hurting me? Maybe he has violent nightmares. Or-'_

My musings were cut off as the window next to me exploded and the glass flew into my body. Luckily I'd thrown my hands up in time to defend my face, but I could feel shards in my arms, torso and legs.

And bloody hell did they hurt!

I lowered my arms to see a tall man in a mask that only showed his eyes staring at me.

"Nothing personal girl. But you have to die now." He said coldly. And lifted a sword.

'_Oh god...'_

The blade flew down.

"NO!" I screamed and flew my arms out instinctively, closing my eyes.

I heard another crash and waited for the pain no hit.

But it never came.

After a few moments I slowly opened my eyes.

My attacker was gone. And another window was smashed.

I turned around expecting to see Gaara, or Kankuro, or somebody that had come to my rescue.

But I was completely alone.

The last thing I registered was a female voice calling out to me as I passed out.

**Kankuro's POV**

"What do you mean 'he fell asleep'?" The Hokage asked for the hundredth time.

"We mean what we say, Lord Hokage." Temari sighed. "Gaara often goes out at night so we weren't worried, but we thought it odd that he didn't come back to the hotel. So Kankuro and I went out to look for him."

"And I found him and Gemma. Both asleep." I added. "How many different ways to we have to put it?"

The Hokage's eye twitched. "I understand this must be...frustrating. But I need all the details I can get in order to assess why Shukaku didn't go on a rampage. The last time Gaara fell asleep in my village the resulting battle left us with a hundred square feet of fallen trees and squashed rocks. You can understand why it would unsettle me that-"

"Lady Tsunade!"

A dark haired woman, Shizune, I think was her name, burst into the room.

"I am sorry Lady Tsunade, but it's the girl! She was attacked!"

"What?!" The Hokage stood up so quickly the desk in front of her jumped.

Gaara's reaction was less violent, but none the decisive.

"Where is she?"

Shizune turned to my brother and a look of fear flitted over her face before she answered. "In her room. The medic nins are with her now."

Gaara started walking out of the room as soon as he heard where she was.

"Get back here, brat! You're not to see her without an escort!" The Hokage yelled.

"You are coming too. She will need treatment." Gaara said over his shoulder.

"I have other matters to worry about! The medics are perfectly capable of-"

"No. You." Was the reply before Gaara disappeared.

Temari gave a sigh. "Kankuro..."

"Yeah." I nodded, and followed my brother.

It took me a few minutes to catch up and I didn't bother talking to him. From what he'd been telling Temari and me he didn't entirely understand why the kid was so...well, the way he put it was; "She says we are friends. Perhaps I can learn things from her that I cannot from Uzumaki or Rock Lee. She is female. Maybe I can understand the mechanics of relationships from her."

Roughly translated, that means 'I think she's hot but since I've never found anyone hot before I have no idea what to do. So I'm gonna stalk her until the feeling either goes away or until I can work out what to do about it.'

I gave a sigh.

'_Maybe Temari's right. He does need 'the Talk'.'_

I shuddered.

'_Hell if I'm giving it to him though!'_

As we finally reached Gemma's room our way was blocked by the Leaf's ANBU.

"Move." Was all my little brother had to say to make them stand aside and let us through.

I gave a 'heh' as we passed them. They probably gave me a dirty look, but if I couldn't see it I didn't care.

I started caring the second I saw a medic nin attending to a rather large cut on Gemma's forearm.

"It's going to need stitches I think, but I'd rather wait until she wakes up." He murmured to his partner.

"Yeah. Poor kid's having a rough time of it, isn't she?" The other shook his head.

Gaara just stared at them. Then walked over to Gemma. "You need her awake?"

The medic looked at him in confusion. "Well, yes ideally. But don't-"

Gaara pushed past him.

"-wake her up." The medic finished weakly.

Gaara sat down on the bed. I'd never seen a look like that on my brother's face before...and hell if I could identify it! I'd like to say it was affection, or worry, or hell! Even love.

But it wasn't any of those things. Just a look.

Then he gently drew his finger down Gemma's nose.

I recognised the gesture immediately. Not an hour before, Gemma had used it to try and wake him up.

"You need to wake up now." He said firmly. "You can sleep later."

I don't think I was the only one who was surprised when Gemma opened her eyes.

"Gaara?"

_A.N – All together now. KAWAII!! Hope I didn't ruin things here by making it all too serious, but there's gonna be dark times ahead for our little Dragon. Please, please, please R&R!_


	21. Chapter 21

'What the Hell…'

'**What the Hell…'**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have a personal masseur! Preferably me!

**First, an apology. I know I haven't updated for ages, but there's a reason for that and it's in the next chapter. Gaara...gets a POV! **

_A.N – I've added another couple of pictures to my 'What the Hell...' Folder on Picasa. Here's the link if you're interested. picasaweb./Luna.Wren/WhatTheHellImages _

_Yay! Reviews!_

_SnowsShadows – Thank you! I was really worried about that one._

_Akizo Miko – Thanks for your suggestion! It will appear in chapter 23. Keep your eyes open._

_Littleva – Wow, that WAS a long review, but very much appreciated. Damn artistic licences. _

_-2-Rena-2-paranoia-2- - Aw, thanks. Your suggestion will be on the disclaimer of chapter 24._

**Chapter 21**

**Comforting...?!**

_Then he gently drew his finger down Gemma's nose._

_I recognised the gesture immediately. Not an hour before, Gemma had used it to try and wake him up._

"_You need to wake up now." He said firmly. "You can sleep later."_

_I don't think I was the only one who was surprised when Gemma opened her eyes._

"_Gaara?"_

_Gemma's POV_

I opened my eyes to see Gaara staring at me blankly.

"Good." He said in a monotone.

I raised an eyebrow.

'_What's good?'_

I sat up and looked around the room.

Kankuro was by the door, the look on his face somewhere between relief and amusement.

Several medic nins were dotted around, including Tagern.

And there were also...others.

Others with weapons.

And masks.

'_Just like...'_

I saw a sword coming at me in my mind's eye and screamed.

I poured all the anger, fear and frustration I'd let build up inside me over the last few days into that scream.

Everyone in the room covered their ears, their faces contorting in pain.

I could see Kankuro yelling something at me, but all I could hear was my own scream, rising in pitch and volume.

Soon a couple of the medics fell to their knees, clasping their ears.

But I couldn't stop.

I didn't want to.

I wanted this world to know the fear and anger I'd been experiencing since I came here!

So I kept screaming. Pushing it all out.

Then the sand appeared.

At first I just thought it was a wall in front of me. But then the light began to fade and I looked up, still screaming, to see the sand forming over my head.

I was being sealed in a sand coffin!

I panicked, screamed more, in fear now.

Until a hand forced itself over my mouth.

I looked up to see Gaara looking at me intensely, a pair of sand 'ear-muffs' protecting him from my scream.

"Stop."

I looked around. We were in a sand...shell for want of a better word. Just me and Gaara.

'_Safe.'_

I let the scream die and just sat there, panting, letting my breath ghost over Gaara's palm. I finally closed my eyes and nodded.

The hand was removed.

"That scream...was unlike any I've heard." Gaara said.

I felt the bed sag and heard the hiss of sand as the shell was completed.

I opened my eyes to find myself in near darkness.

"Close your eyes again. You'll get used to it."

I nodded, even though I knew Gaara couldn't see it, and closed them.

The bed moved again, and I felt Gaara sit down on it, in front of me.

"Why did you scream?"

I licked my lips and took a deep breath before answering.

"Those...people. The ones with the masks?"

"The Leaf's ANBU."

"Whatever. They...they looked like the guy who..." I let a sob escape my lips and threw my hand over my mouth angrily.

"Dammit! What's wrong with me!"

"You were scared. The ANBU looked like the rogue nin that attacked you. So you panicked."

"...Yes." I whispered, ashamed now. "Gomen, I'm sorry."

"It's not me you need to apologise to. I was not hurt. The Hokage might be annoyed though."

I opened my eyes to see Gaara's eyes a couple of inches from mine.

"Gyah!" I exclaimed, and fell backwards. The sand stopped me from banging my head on the headstand. "Don't do that!"

"You are jumpy."

"No shit Sherlock! I was attacked! Twice in one week!" I yelled. "I'm not a bloody ninja, I'm not used to frequent assassination attempts." I sniffed, and pulled my knees up, drawing my arms around them, wincing at the glass shards still embedded in my arms and legs. "Why me?"

Gaara stared at me. Then tentatively reached out a hand and patted me on the head.

I looked up and raised an eyebrow. "I'm not a dog, Gaara. However much I may act like a bitch."

He stared at me in confusion. "I don't...I'm trying to..." He gave a huff and looked me in the eyes. "It's not comforting?"

I almost laughed. He was trying to make me feel better!

'_Kawaii!'_

"Not really...but thanks for trying." I smiled, and put my hand over his, which now rested on my knee.

Gaara looked down at my hand. "Is that supposed to reassure me?"

"Is it working?"

Gaara shook his head. "Not really. But it's not unpleasant."

I grinned. "Good."

"Will you teach me?"

I cocked my head to the side. "Teach you what?"

"About...relationships. Friendship." He looked steadily at me, no trace of embarrassment on his face.

"Why me? Ask Lee and Naruto?"

"You are returning with us to Suna. Lee and Naruto are staying here. And neither have ever shown much inclination towards physical contact."

"Lee said you didn't like it." I explained.

"I've...never had much experience with it to see if I like it or not." He clenched his hand slightly under mine. "This is pleasant. I could grow to like this contact. The 'hug' was...surprising. It made me feel strange."

I shook my head.

'_What am I letting myself in for?'_

"Sure. Why not. I'll teach you as best I can."

Gaara nodded.

No 'thank you' I noted.

"Now, I think I ought to apologise to those medics and your brother for hurting their ears."

"And the ANBU?"

"They shouldn't have scared me. I don't like 'em."

"I'll make them go away. Stay here."

I watched as Gaara opened up a 'door' in the sand shell and walked out.

'_Bless 'im.'_

I sighed and waited for Gaara to give me the all clear.

_A.N –Sorry of Gaara goes OCC in this, but I'm doing my best! And why did Gemma's scream affect them like that? Please, please, please R&R!_


	22. Chapter 22

'What the Hell…'

'**What the Hell…'**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have Goth clothes! You know he'd look fit!

_**A.N –**__**Apologies in advance for Gaara's OOCness. I tried my very very best, but it's hard to get inside the head of a thirteen year old psychotic demon host when you're a twenty year old shop assistant.**_

_Yay! Reviews!_

_SnowsShadows – Yeah...some of my chapters vary in length. But there's a reason I stopped it there._

_Littleva – Aw, you have no idea how much it means to have people review every chapter. Thanks for saying Gaara's IC, but as I've said above, that might change in this chapter. And I wouldn't worry about being obsessed. Nothing wrong with a little obsession now and then!_

_Kyrie Twilight – Yeah, I figured it was the only way he could get out and keep Gemma 'safe'._

_Your Demon – Yay for correct grammar. You can blame my mother, she was a teacher. Yeah, I have the same problems as I generally read fanfics in the early hours when the insomnia gets too bad._

_Akizo Miko – As always, thank you!_

**Chapter 22**

**Here Endeth the Lesson! **

_**Okay! Finally Gaara gets a POV!**_

_**...**_

_**You're not going to say anything.**_

_**What is there to say?**_

_**Sigh Never mind.**_

"_Now, I think I ought to apologise to those medics and your brother for hurting their ears."_

"_And the ANBU?"_

"_They shouldn't have scared me. I don't like 'em."_

"_I'll make them go away. Stay here."_

_I watched as Gaara opened up a 'door' in the sand shell and walked out._

'_Bless 'im.'_

_I sighed and waited for Gaara to give me the all clear._

**Kankuro's POV**

I was deaf.

Completely.

And by the looks of it, so was everyone else in the room.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Temari and the Hokage looking at me.

The Hokage was quite obviously yelling, and I didn't need to hear to know what she was asking.

"What the hell happened?"

I gestured at the sand shell Gaara had sealed Gemma and himself inside.

"Went crazy!" I said. Or at least, I hoped I did.

It's hard to talk when you can't hear yourself.

"Gemma, not Gaara." I added after seeing the concern on the two women's faces. "He sealed them in the shell. Stopped the scream."

I felt another pair of hand push my hood off and looked 'round to see a medic nin smiling at me. He placed his hands over my ears and drew Chakra into them.

"Is that better?" He asked.

I could hear him! Thank gods.

"Yeah, thanks." I nodded.

My head snapped 'round as I heard the shift of sand. Gaara stepped out of a hole in the shell.

I got up and walked over to him.

"How is she?"

"Better. The ANBU masks scared her." Gaara said in a bored voice. "She was attacked by a rogue nin in a mask, and since she's never seen black ops before, she assumed they were more assassins."

I turned to the nearest ANBU with hearing.

"Did you know she was attacked by a masked nin?"

"Yes." Came the slightly muffled reply. "We had to scrape him off the sidewalk."

"Then why in the name of hell did you guys decide to turn up with your masks?!" I yelled. "I mean, it's bad enough you killed the only guy who could have told us anything, but couldn't a couple of jounins have protected her just as well as you?"

"Kankuro. Stop." Gaara's piercing gaze stopped me mid-rant. He turned to the ANBU. "Explain."

The ANBU turned to the Hokage. She nodded wearily. "He's a genius, he'll only work it out for himself if you don't tell him."

"Well," the ANBU started "for starters, the nin's not dead. Just in a critical condition. Secondly, _we_ didn't attack him. We were too far away. Who would attack someone in a hospital?"

"I did." Gaara said coldly. "You shouldn't have assumed."

The ANBU shivered, and continued his story.

"We were keeping a vague eye on the girl, when one of our main group reported an unusual Chakra signature heading towards her. We looked up in time to see the guy go through the window...and a few seconds later get blown out again."

"Well if it wasn't you then who-" Comprehension dawned. "You think-you think _Gemma _did that?"

"They're not here to protect her." Gaara confirmed. "They're here to guard her."

"There's no other explanation. One of our team was up there a second later. She was alone, collapsed on the floor." The ANBU shook his head. "Must've been one hell of a wind jutsu to put him that hard in the pavement."

'_Wind jutsu...wind...air...the DRAGON!'_

"Her powers as a Dragon!" I exclaimed. Gaara gave me a look that clearly said 'You've only just worked that out?'.

I ignored him. Everyone else was looking at me in confusion.

"That old pervert said the Dragon had power over wind, air and..." my eyes widened

"...sound! Gods, that scream!"

The Hokage turned to Gaara. "You said she was singing to you when you fell asleep."

Gaara nodded. "Yes. I suspect she can unconsciously alter the sound waves of her voice to induce pain or sleep."

"And the wind...she must have been unconsciously defending herself. Like your sand. It's the same! She can't help it!" I exclaimed.

The Hokage sighed. "I feared this would happen. That damned witchdoctor warned her powers might be uncontrollable. As long as she's safe though, she should be able to learn to harness them."

"Where is that damn bastard anyway?" Temari growled. "Shouldn't he be here looking after her?"

"He doesn't need to. He knows she's safe." Gaara turned back to the shell, then looked over his shoulder. "Get rid of the ANBU. I'm going to ask what happened." He walked back to the shell and went inside an opening that appeared.

The Hokage was shivering with barely suppressed anger. "Excuse me? Did you forget who's in charge here, brat?"

Temari closed her eyes and gave a soft sigh. "Lord Hokage, if Gaara asked you to dismiss the ANBU then it's for a good reason."

"That's not the point. He didn't ask. He demanded." The Hokage gave a growl and turned to the ANBU. "Your presence is no longer required."

"But, what if the girl acts up again?" A female ANBU asked.

The Hokage gave a hollow laugh. "Do you seriously think that brat's gonna let you do anything if she does? Damn kids and their hormones."

"I don't think it's like that..." I mumbled.

The Hokage brushed me off. "I don't care how cold that boy may seem. He's still a teenage boy. Trust me. It's like that."

And with that she was gone.

**Gaara's POV**

I could almost feel the woman's anger as I turned away from the Hokage, but it did not matter. There was sense in what I said, and I knew she would listen, even if she didn't like it.

"Excuse me? Did you forget who's in charge here, brat?"

I ignored the comment and closed the shell behind me. Gemma was still sitting in the same position I left her in, knees drawn up with her arms wrapped around them. I recognised the position as one of comfort.

She still didn't feel safe.

She gave a slight smile as I entered and chuckled at the Hokage's yell.

"What did you do now? You didn't put the ANBU in sand coffins, did you?"

The laughter and smile were forced, but I knew enough not to push the issue. I had more important matters to attend to.

"I asked her to dismiss the ANBU."

"Asked, or told?"

I gave an internal smirk. She was getting familiar with my countenance already. How long since she had arrived? Five days? And yet the bond I had formed with her was as strong as that which I had with Rock Lee and Naruto Uzumaki. Extraordinary. And fascinating. She had no fear of me. Something I rarely came across.

I shook my head. These sorts of thoughts had been plaguing me lately and I was growing tired if them. I had enough going on in my head with Shukaku constantly trying to gnaw on his restraints. Though his presence was noticeably absent today. The last time I had been around Gemma he had been whispering the sort of horrific and perverted suggestions I had become accustomed to over the years. I could tune him out if I tried, but it took effort. And control. Something I found it hard to have around this girl.

She lowered all my defences.

I was warned this might happen someday. Baki had told me before we entered the Chunnin exams. I remembered his words as I stared at Gemma;

"Listen, Gaara. I know that your only priority right now is yourself, and I hope for now that it stays that way. But someday you might come across someone who can get through to you on a level you're not used to. You're a teenager, and you have a demon inside you that's been caged up for years! If you let someone get close, he's going to try and persuade you to do things to them in order to make them hate you. Best case scenario, you never meet anyone like that, and love only yourself like you always have. Worst case, you'll fall for someone. Not love. I'm not sure you're capable of that. But lust is another matter. If you ever find someone that lowers all your defences, who makes you feel cold and warm at the same time, then come find me or your brother, and we'll have another talk.

Here endeth the lesson."

I climbed back on the bed and wished for the first time that Baki was with us. I had a feeling I was going to need that talk soon.

I didn't recognise the emotions that plagued me when I was around this girl...and it could lead to danger for both of us.

Damn right Kiddo!

I froze. I knew that voice only too well. Shukaku was back.

And my defences were completely down! He was going to try and take over!

'Here endeth the lesson?' No. My education had barely begun.

_A.N – Okay, please don't kill me if Gaara's POV is crap! Like I said it's hard to get inside the mind of a thirteen year old psychopath! Please, please, please R&R!_


	23. Chapter 23

'What the Hell…'

'**What the Hell…'**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have a brief but passionate affair! God knows he needs one!

_A.N – Yay! Reviews!_

_Something Diabolical – Phew! I'm glad some people liked it. I was terrified. Hm, me...normal...those two words are like putting Gaara and the Easter Bunny in the same sentence._

_Littleva – Thank you for saying he wasn't OOC. I tried my very best here, but I know there are better people at this out there. Sigh. Anyways! Your disclaimer suggestion will appear within the next few chapters!! Keep an eye open!_

**Chapter 23**

**How to Shock A Psychopath! **

_I didn't recognise the emotions that plagued me when I was around this girl...and it could lead to danger for both of us._

_Damn right Kiddo!_

_I froze. I knew that voice only too well. Shukaku was back. _

_And my defences were completely down! He was going to try and take over!_

'_Here endeth the lesson?' No. My education had barely begun. _

Gemma's POV

Gaara had been staring at me for the last ten minutes or so.

And it was beginning to freak me out!

Couldn't have been the question I had asked him. He seemed almost amused by it before he froze.

'_So...what was it?'_ I shrugged.

Whatever it was, it wasn't healthy! He needed to snap out of it. Besides, I was stuck in this damn shell until he let it go.

I winced as I crawled to the end of the bed, the movement causing the glass shards in my skin to move and cause me pain. It was ignorable though.

I'd had worse.

I looked up to see that Gaara's eyes had stayed glued to the spot I'd previously been in. Not me he was staring at then.

Damn.

"Gaara?" I said loudly. Then winced. My throat was now killing me. Anything above a loud whisper hurt like all hell!

There was no response from Gaara. He remained frozen.

I waved my hand in front of his face. "Hello? Earth to planet Gaara, come in please!"

Nadda.

'_Houston, we have a problem!'_

I gave a soft growl. Then hit myself on the head for forgetting how much it would hurt.

If Gaara were anyone else I'd have solved the problem by slapping him upside the head.

But pretty much everyone I'd come in contact with had warned me that physical attacks on Gaara, real or play, generally resulted in death.

I gave a huff and considered my other options. How do you snap someone out of a daze?

Shocking them was the obvious answer. But how?

Hitting him obviously wasn't going to work, and with my arms in this state I doubted I could put enough force behind a poke to make it matter.

Yelling? Impossible with this throat.

Making him jump? How? The only time I'd seen him surprised or shocked was when Bonehead rose from the dead. I doubted I could replicate that.

'_No, wait...'_

I had seen him shocked one other time.

When I'd hugged him.

I chuckled evilly and got up off the bed, before groaning.

The bloody gourd was back!

Dammit all to Hades!

That was that plan out then.

My inner cheerleader, however, was not so easily dissuaded.

'_So? Next step up from a hug is...'_

My eyes widened. Could I do that? Could I steal his first?

I shook my head. No. That would be SO not right.

'_But on his face might be okay!'_

I bit my lip and considered the boy in front of me.

'_Okay, one last try, and if that doesn't work we'll go with plan B.'_

I drew close to Gaara and whispered in his ear. "Gaara? Last chance. Snap outta it!"

Nothing.

"Okay, you asked for it!" I sighed.

And gently placed a kiss on his cheek.

My lips were ripped away from his cheek as I felt a blow to my stomach. And suddenly I was pinned to the sand wall.

'_Shit! That hurts!'_

I closed my eyes in pain, then forced them open to stare at Gaara. His eyes were wide in confusion, but unfocused. As though he wasn't entirely in control of his actions.

I felt a horrid sensation climb up my bare skin, and looked down to see sand covering my lower body.

"Shit!"

I was being put in a sand coffin!

'_Over a kiss?! Fuck that!'_

"Gaara! Let me go you git!" I yelled, covering my fear with insults as always.

Gaara ignored me. I wasn't even sure he could hear me.

I gave a whimper of pain as the sand drove the glass shards even deeper into my body.

"Gaara, please? This hurts!"

Gaara finally blinked at me, and his eyes widened even more as he regarded the sand encasing me.

Something in them snapped, and I was suddenly dropped to the ground.

I yelped as I landed hard on my arse.

"Thanks." I muttered sarcastically.

Gaara didn't reply, and I looked up to see his eyes focused on the blood flowing from my reopened wounds.

His brows furrowed and he suddenly clutched at his hair, as though in pain.

"No." He growled out.

I raised an eyebrow as began to get up.

"Gaara? Tell me what's going on! What's wrong with you?"

He glared at me, madness in his eyes like the day Duju escaped.

"I mean it! I know something's wrong! Are you in pain? Tell me what I can do!" I began to make my way towards him.

"NO! Stay away from me!" He yelled.

I flinched back, hurt.

Gaara gave a groan and lifted his hand to his face, making a hand sign.

One I recognised.

"Don't you dare!"

Gaara ignored me and teleported, leaving me to stare at the place he'd been as the sand shell collapsed around me.

_A.N –Angst anyone? Please, please, please R&R!_


	24. Chapter 24

'What the Hell…'

'**What the Hell…'**

**This chapter's disclaimer comes from Akizo Miko;**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara and my OC best friends!

**Thanks Akizo!**

_**A.N – Wow! Nine pages! New record. I realised that if I didn't make the chapters longer I'd have well over 200 chapters. As it is, this story's gonna be broken into three fics.**_

_Yay! Reviews!_

_2-Rena-2-Paranoia-2 – Don't worry, he won't go far kukuku!_

_Akizu Miko – I know...but it's for a reason I promise! I don't do angst for the heck of it. Yeah...Gemma's gonna be a lot of firsts._

_Littleva – Ah, well I have an issue with this. I've read so many fanfictions that claim Gaara's skin is soft etc. 'cause he always wears the sand armour. But if you actually listen to Kankuro in the Sand Siblings early days he tells Naruto it takes enormous effort and Chakra to keep up the sand armour, and Gaara only does it as a last result. Usually the automatic defence is enough. So her lips should be fine. Not that I think she'd mind anyways ;)_

_Sn6wsShadows – 'Cause he cares...he just doesn't know it yet._

**Chapter 24**

**Basic Instincts! **

"_I mean it! I know something's wrong! Are you in pain? Tell me what I can do!" I began to make my way towards him._

"_NO! Stay away from me!" He yelled._

_I flinched back, hurt._

_Gaara gave a groan and lifted his hand to his face, making a hand sign._

_One I recognised._

"_Don't you dare!"_

_Gaara ignored me and teleported, leaving me to stare at the place he'd been as the sand shell collapsed around me._

**--Tsunade's POV**

I leant the back of my head against the wall outside the kid's room. She was safe from outside threats with Gaara, but the fact that she could put him to sleep worried me. As did the fact that there had been no sign of Shukaku. Was he trying to lull us into a false sense of security? I didn't know much about the demon, only that he appeared when Gaara slept, had absolute control over sand, and that his name meant 'drunken'. That to me suggested such complicated things as advanced battle schemes were beyond his ability to conjure. But then why...

I lifted my head away from the wall and thumped it back again. Hard. This was giving me a headache.

'_I need a drink...'_

I couldn't really leave the two alone, much as I wanted to. And the sand brat's siblings had other matters to attend to while they were here. Such as explaining to me the exact nature of the One-Tail.

I needed someone who would be able to not only stand up to Gaara, but possibly to Shukaku as well.

I began to wander towards the hospital exit as I thought.

Naruto would be the ideal choice, of course. But the Uchiha bastard had done a real number on him, and that idiot Jiraiya was talking about taking him away, with Sakura, to get their minds off him and his defection to Sound.

Neji Hyuga could stop Chakra pathways contacting each other, which would be an ideal solution. But he was still recovering.

Shikamaru had already shown he could hold Gaara for a while at least, but I suspected he would find the whole situation 'troublesome'. Besides which, he and Gemma didn't really get on very well. Not yet.

I gave a frustrated growl.

'_Damn it all, who else is left?'_

"Lord Hokage?"

I turned my head to see a tall, green-clad Genin, clutching a daffodil with a surprised look on his face.

The slot machine in my mind went 'KerCHING!'. How could I have forgotten the very first person to break through Gaara's sand shield, and, if nothing else, could get Gemma out of harm's way quickly.

"Rock Lee. Just the ninja I wanted to see!" I grinned.

Lee visibly brightened. "Really! Am I being put back on missions again?"

"Kinda..." I squirmed. Lee had been maintaining for the last few days that, since he'd survived a battle against a Sound ninja that had given Gaara trouble, he should be let back onto full missions again.

I argued, just as strongly, that half the reason for his survival _was_ Gaara, and alcohol.

But this was a mission...and hopefully one he wouldn't get damaged on. Gaara now seemed strangely reluctant to hurt the boy he'd once attempted to kill. Gai had even told me that Lee had asked Gaara for a rematch on one of the brief stints he'd had away from Gemma. Gaara had refused point blank and jutsu'd away.

"Lord Hokage?"

'_Oh, right. Mission.'_

"I have a guarding mission for you."

"Really?! I promise to guard them with the full extent of my youth-"

I tuned the boy's rambling out. Once again I questioned the Third's wisdom in placing Lee with Gai.

'_Poor kid's never gonna get laid.'_

"Yeah, whatever Lee. Listen up for a minute."

The boy snapped to attention, eyes glistening at the thought of a new challenge.

"I need you to stay with Gemma at all times. Don't let her out of your sight unless I send someone to relieve you, okay?"

Lee blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You heard, kid. Stick with Dragon girl in there."

Lee gave a slight rueful grin. "I am sorry, Lord Hokage. But I was under the impression that Gaara was guarding Gemma. Quite fiercely in fact."

'_Kid's not as dumb as he looks.'_

"The situation's been compromised." I sighed. "You know that Gaara's not supposed to sleep right?"

Lee nodded. "Naruto told me once that Gaara sleeping was a bad thing, yes. But he did not tell me why."

"Doesn't matter right now. What matters is that Gemma can put him to sleep. You can't leave the two of them alone together. Understood?"

"Well, this will make things awkward. How can she-"

"I'll explain later."

Lee looked adorable when he was confused. Still, now wasn't the time.

We both jumped as an ANBU appeared next to us.

"Lord Hokage! There's a situation! You'd better hurry."

I gave a growl and spun on my heel.

'_What's that damn brat done now?'_

--**Temari POV**

I knew something was up as soon as the sand shell started to collapse in on itself. It always retreated back into Gaara's gourd. But now it was just falling to the floor. It was Kankuro's hand on my arm and pointed gaze that drew my own to the singular figure in the sand.

It had black hair.

'_Gemma.'_

As I made my way forward one of the few remaining ANBU that were gradually dispersing disappeared with a poof. I didn't need to ask where he'd gone.

Kankuro held me back from comforting the girl in the sand.

"I get the feeling we're the last people she needs to see right now. Something's up."

A moment later Tsunade burst into the room, the Lee kid at her heels.

"What the hell-"

"Gemma!"

Lee pushed past the Hokage and Kankuro and I, making his way to the kid sitting in the sand. He gently knelt down and brushed the sand out of her hair so she could raise her head.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Where is Gaara?"

The girl gave a sharp shake of her head, sending sand flying and threw herself into Lee's arms with a sob.

'_How much more...she's gonna loose it again if things carry on like this.'_

Lee had begun to wrap his arms around Gemma, but stopped when she let out a whimper of pain.

"Lord Hokage? She's hurt. There's blood."

Tsunade made her way over and gave a girl a quick once over before standing.

"I can't do anything with all this sand around. Lee, bring her to the next room." She turned to Kankuro and I. "You two come too." She growled.

"Why do I get the feeling we're about to be blamed for Gaara's mess again?" Kankuro muttered to me.

I nodded in agreement. He'd obviously done _something_ to make Gemma upset. I followed behind Lee in silence.

Once we reached the spare room and Lee had placed her down in the bed Kankuro drew a little closer and made a few quick hand-signs.

"Sand-master jutsu."

I smiled at Lee's face as the sand removed itself from Gemma's skin and flocked to Kankuro's hand, but the smile faded as I saw the state she'd been left in.

Lee was right. There was blood.

A lot of it.

Tsunade nodded her thanks to Kankuro and took a good look at Gemma's arms, where the blood was seeping from.

"Would one of you care to explain this?" She said in a dangerous whisper. The two of us drew closer the see red abrasions on Gemma's arms and legs. Abrasions I recognised all too well.

'_Sand burns. Gaara...'_

Kankuro drew back and slammed his fist into a wall.

"Dammit!"

"My thoughts exactly." The Hokage replied dryly.

From the look on Lee's face he recognised the marks too.

He should. He'd had them all over his face a year ago.

"I'm going to have to ban your brother from the hospital and write to Suna. There's no way we can-"

"No."

The word was soft, so soft I barely heard it, but said with such finality that everyone turned to the injured girl in surprise.

"Wasn't his fault. Was mine. Made him jump." She choked out. Her throat was obviously in a lot of pain. Tsunade gave her a look and placed her hand over her throat, healing it with Chakra.

"Say that again?" She said softly.

"It wasn't his fault. He was in...like a daze. I got too bold. Made him jump purposely. He reacted as he would to any threat or surprise." She looked the Hokage in the eyes. "Please don't send him away."

Lee rested a hand on her shoulder and turned to the Hokage.

"I admit I was not present at this event, but I know for a fact that Gaara would not attack someone without provocation."

Tsunade stared at the two in shock.

"He put you in a sand coffin, didn't he?"

Gemma nodded. "Not all the way though. Just up to my chest."

"And you're defending him? Both of you?!" She turned to Lee, anger evident in her gaze. "You of all people, Lee. You know what that boy can do!"

Lee stood firm. "That is exactly my point, Lord Hokage. I know how much pain and suffering Gaara is capable of causing. When I surprised him, I had my left limbs crushed." He looked the blonde in the eye. "All Gemma has is sand burns." The he turned his gaze to us as well. "He held back."

I allowed this statement to roll over me and sink in. Even Kankuro, Baki and I knew better than to surprise Gaara. After all the assassinations of his early life, he took any unexpected move as an attack and reacted with deadly intent.

But all Gemma had was sand burns.

'_Gaara...'_

He'd held back his most basic instinct, to protect himself.

It finally seemed to sink into the Hokage just how much of a breakthrough that was.

Whether it was Gemma's influence, or whether he would of held back no matter who his companion was, I didn't know. But it meant something, either way.

We were all broken out of our thoughts when Gemma gave a loud yawn.

"Gomen. I've had a bit of a shit day, one way or another."

Tsunade gave a humourless chuckle. "Then sleep kid. I can fix up your arms while you do."

"Thanks." She turned her gaze to Lee. "Stay?"

Lee gave a soft grin and gave her a thumbs up. "Do not worry! Lord Hokage has made it my mission to stay with you and keep you safe! I will protect you with my life!"

Gemma raised an eyebrow at the promise but smiled. "You, are weird, Lee." She closed her eyes and winced as she settled down. "But don't change, ne?"

Lee nodded, and pulled a chair up beside the bed.

Tsunade finally turned her attention to us. "You two search for your brother."

Kankuro opened his mouth to argue, but I hushed him with a death glare of my own. "You make a start. I need to discuss something with the Hokage. I'll catch you up."

Kankuro raised an eyebrow, but nodded as he disappeared.

"And you're still here because..."

I turned to the Hokage and beckoned. She raised an eyebrow, but followed me outside.

"Like I told my brother, I need to talk to you."

Her eyes narrowed, but she crossed her arms and waited for me to continue.

I took a deep breath. What I was about to do would probably make the elders of my village very, _very_, unhappy. But it needed to be done.

"I think Lee needs to be told about Gaara's...condition."

Tsunade nodded in agreement. "I already intended to tell him. Shikamaru too. I'll have him guard Gemma at night. He sleeps the day away anyway. Lee during the day, Shikamaru at night."

I gave a sharp nod of agreement. "Kankuro and I will help as well if you let us."

"Good. I'll debrief them both tomorrow morning." Her face contorted into an evil grin. "I'll get Gai to babysit! He'll love it!"

I shuddered. "If she comes out in green spandex, I'm getting Suna to start a war."

Tsunade gave a bark of laughter and strolled back into Gemma's room.

And me?

I went to find my baby brother.

_A.N – Okay, so Lee and Shikamaru are gonna be Gemma's official bodyguards! Wonder how Gaara will like that? Please, please, please R&R!_


	25. Chapter 25

'What the Hell…'

'**What the Hell…'**

**This chapter's disclaimer comes from 2-Rena-2-Paranoia-2;**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have his own late night talk show!

**Interesting...OH! It could be like a 'Who gets killed tonight?' thing!**

**Thanks Rena!**

_A.N - Yay! Reviews!_

_**I would just like to take a second to thank ALL my reviewers, 'cause seriously, without them I wouldn't have the inspiration to write.**_

_Littleva – Thanks for another disclaimer idea, put up as many as you like 'cause my brain's running on empty. Oh yes...there will be fluff kukuku._

_Friglit – Nice to hear from you again. Okay, _

_Thanks, I thought the multiple POVs would make it easier to understand what's going on sometimes. _

_I try my very best to keep the characters IC 'cause personally I hate it when someone writes a story in the OU and makes Gaara a sentimental sap. He's just not like that. I will continue to do my best, don't worry._

_I've never been called a comic genius before sniff. I'm afraid it will have to be serious some of the time, especially in Book Three. But hopefully this chapter will have you laughing again!_

_Thanks for your review._

_Akizu Miko – Yay indeed!_

**Chapter 25**

**Attack of the Green Beasts! **

"_Good. I'll debrief them both tomorrow morning." Her face contorted into an evil grin. "I'll get Gai to babysit! He'll love it!"_

_I shuddered. "If she comes out in green spandex, I'm getting Suna to start a war."_

_Tsunade gave a bark of laughter and strolled back into Gemma's room._

_And me? _

_I went to find my baby brother._

Gemma POV

I woke up screaming during the night, visions of swords and masks and sand still swimming in front of my eyes.

A strong pair of arms pulled me to a chest and held me there. The smell of leaves and spandex connected me to its owner before I heard the voice gently shushing me.

"It was only a nightmare Gemma. It is alright now. You are safe. I promise."

'_Lee...'_

He'd stayed with me, just like he'd promised.

I sighed and allowed myself another few seconds of being cuddled before putting on my tough girl act.

"Where's Gaara? I need to-"

"What you need," Lee said firmly, pushing me back down into the bed "is to sleep. Lord Hokage needed to perform some minor surgery on your arms. You need to let them heal while you sleep."

"Surgery? Why?"

Lee gave a sigh. "I will explain in the morning. Sleep."

The door opened as I took a breath to argue. Temari's head peered in.

"Everything okay? I heard a scream."

"Just a nightmare, and now stubbornness." Lee huffed.

"You're one to talk." Temari smiled.

"Any luck?" Lee asked, ignoring the comment.

"Nope. Like I told your Hokage, we'll find him when he wants to be found and not before. Though somehow," she looked at me "I doubt he's gone far. Keep an eye open for sand eyeballs."

I sat up quickly enough that Lee only just got out of the way. "You _lost_ _him_?"

"He hasn't reappeared since leaving you." Lee sighed, then turned to Temari. "Temari, if you could...? I have no ninjutsu skills so-"

Temari held up a hand, cutting him off. Then made a series of hand signs.

"Oh don't you fucking-"

"Play-Possum Jutsu!"

I blacked out.

--

The second time I woke up it was to a large bang as the door flew open and a loud voice booming "Good MORRRRRRRRRRRRNING Youthful student!"

"Eurgh." I groaned, throwing my hands over my ears. This was a hospital, right? Didn't they have some sort of rule and about random people bursting in and creating a huge sound that hurt everybody's...never mind. Forget I mentioned it.

I opened my eyes to see what appeared to be a louder, bigger, greener and bigger-browed version of Lee.

'_Did Lee have a massive growth spurt or something? How long was I asleep?'_

My question was answered when Lee leapt up from a chair with an equally loud cry of "Gai-sensei!" and embraced the man in front if him.

'_Oh, my god.'_

I eyed up the drip that had apparently been attached to me during the night and pulled it out.

'_I wanna know what they put in here...'_

"So this is our new youthful friend, eh?" The green...thing, turned its attention to me.

Considering the week I'd had with things surprising me and making me jump, I don't think my reaction was unfounded.

"Lee, keep that thing the _hell_ away from me!"

There was a loud sigh from the door. "Sensei. Didn't Lady Tsunade ask you _not_ to scare her patients?"

The question came from a tall brunette with her hair in two buns. She stepped into the room and gave a friendly smile.

"Please take it away." I whimpered at her.

"Gemma!" Lee exclaimed, turning on me with a dismayed face. "Gai-sensei is not a-"

"Leave it, Lee!" The man now known as Gai-sensei said, patting Lee on the head. He moved towards me. I moved as far back as I could.

"Forgive me for startling you! I am Maito Gai! Lee's strong and manly mentor! I was asked by our Lord Hokage to guard you until my adorable student returns from his meeting!" He stuck out his thumb and beamed, the light glinting off his teeth. "I promise I will keep you safe and well!"

I raised an eyebrow, then turned to Lee.

"Three things. One, I agree with Gaara about this guy. Two, tell Tsunade if she returns to find my hearing and/or sanity in tact it will be a miracle. And three, _why the fuck is the sun setting behind him?! It's eight am for fuck's sake!_"

The girl gave a snort.

Lee looked outraged.

Gai-sensei just laughed. "Ah! Truly our friend is in the full springtime of her youth!"

I gave a yell and turned to claw and bang on the wall behind me.

"Kankuro, Kiba, Naruto!_ Gaara_! Somebody help me!"

The girl shook her head and pushed at Gai-sensei.

"Sensei, you can guard her from outside. She's just woken up, and she doesn't know you. She needs to calm down. Lee, you have a meeting to get to! And you," she pointed to me "calm down, okay? I'll stay in here with you. I promise not to mention youth."

I gave a sniff and huddled under the blankets. "Okay."

'_Goddess I'm glad Gaara can't see me!'_

The girl placed her hands on her hips and smiled at me, before turning to the two green men. "Why are you both still here? Get a move on!"

"Yes TenTen!" They chorused and ran from the room.

"Men." She sighed. "I'm sorry Gai-sensei scared you. He's not so bad, once you get used to him."

I gave a huff of disbelief and slumped back. "What's this meeting about anyway?"

"Guess."

"Me or Gaara or both."

She pointed at me in a 'you-got-it' way.

"My name's TenTen by the way. You're Gemma, right?"

I nodded and threw an arm over my face before wincing. "Ow! Bloody sand burns! I'm gonna kill 'im when I next see 'im."

TenTen gave me a confused look. "Rumour going round is that it's your own fault."

"Lotta rumours in this place, huh? It was. Doesn't mean I'm not gonna kick his arse for it!"

TenTen laughed. "I'd almost like to see that! Oh! That reminds me," she turned and pulled a very familiar looking backpack from beside the door "they just finished checking this for bombs and surveillance equipment." She handed it back to me and shrugged. "Don't feel insulted, it's standard procedure."

"I wondered where they'd hidden this." I murmured, and started to pull things out, checking everything was there.

"Can I see?"

I looked up to see TenTen holding my sketchbook. "Sure. No great works of art in there though."

She flicked though and gave a whistle. "I'd argue that! These are amazing!"

I shook my head. I knew where my talents lay. "They're nothing. I'm good and copying what's in front of me, faces and such, but I haven't got any imagination."

Almost every drawing in the book was of my friends. I could draw portraits perfectly, but ask me to draw a lake with a few ducks swimming on it from my mind and I'd sink.

"These really are good! Would," she looked embarrassed "would you do me?"

"Sure. I'm out of practice anyway." I took the book from her and pulled out my pencil case. "You don't have to keep completely still, but it helps if you could just sorta, stare at me. Just for a couple of minutes. Then I'll be good."

TenTen nodded and looked into my eyes for a few minutes while I studied her features. After a bit I gave a nod and started work.

We sat in silence for a while, me drawing and TenTen flipping through one of my First-Aid books.

"So, you wanna be a medic?" She finally asked.

"Hm? Nah. My Dad made all of us kids take the course. _He_ wants us to be doctors. _I_ want to work in theatre. Dancing, or playing in the orchestra. Or doing face-fits for the police. Something...different."

"Wow. Can you dance?"

"Yeah, I've won competitions and such. I get it from my Mum. She was a dancer before my Dad turned her into a baby-machine. I was the only one of us to inherit it. All my sisters have two left feet."

"Like I said, men! That's why I'm never going to get married. I thought you might be, a dancer, y'know. You have the right build for dancing, or martial arts maybe. How many sisters do you have?"

"Four. Three older, one younger." I twisted the picture from one side to another. "There. It's not all that good, I think the hair's gone weird. But..."

I handed it to her. She gasped.

"Wow! It's like looking at a black and white photo!"

I gave a shrug. "Like I said, the hair's wrong-"

"No it's perfect!"

"You can keep it. Now I know your face I can always draw another."

"Really? You can draw from memory? Hm. Alright then! I challenge you to draw...Lee!"

I gave a laugh. "Like Lee's forgettable. Okay then!"

We spent the rest of the morning chatting and (in TenTen's case) being amazed at my drawings.

I couldn't help but feel that, despite my closeness to Gaara and Lee, I'd made my first _real_ friend here.

--

_A.N –Aw! I always liked TenTen and never thought she had enough screen time. Please, please, please R&R!_


	26. Chapter 26

'What the Hell…'

'**What the Hell…'**

**This chapter's disclaimer comes from Littleva;**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have his own kissing booth!

**Hm, 'The Kissing Booth' is one of my favourite fanfics as well so good job! Mmm, Gaara...kisses...Ahem! Back to reality!**

_A.N - Yay! Reviews!_

Akizo Miku – Yay indeedy!! And yeah, I love TenTen! So she's gonna be a big part of Gemma's life!

Kitsmits – Yay, a new reviewer!! Someone will give Gaara 'The Talk' but I'm not saying who yet ;) Oh! And here's a link to my livejournal. the-luna-wren./6618.html#cutid1 Gemma's pics are on there. Thanks, I try my best to make my grammar as good as it can be. I hate bad grammar too. And thanks for your comments on the characters. I try my best!

Littleva - …You are aware you've just totally laid out the plot there, aren't ya? No-one read her review unless you want spoilers. Am I that predictable, or are you just psychic? Anyways, yes she is gonna have to leave her Konoha friends behind eventually, but don't worry, they won't be forgotten.

**Chapter 26**

**Secrets of the Sand! **

_**Hey guys, Gemma here! There's a flashback in this (very, very long) chapter, and it's done in the third person (but from Shikamaru's perspective) to avoid confusion. Clear? Great! Ja!**_

"_Really? You can draw from memory? Hm. Alright then! I challenge you to draw...Lee!"_

_I gave a laugh. "Like Lee's forgettable. Okay then!"_

_We spent the rest of the morning chatting and (in TenTen's case) being amazed at my drawings._

_I couldn't help but feel that, despite my closeness to Gaara and Lee, I'd made my first real friend here._

--Shikamaru POV

"Where the hell is he?"

I winced one eye shut at Kankuro's yell. Lee was only four minutes late.

But whatever this meeting was about (and I had my suspicions) it had the Sand shinobi on edge. Both of them, actually. Temari was currently leaning up against the wall, nails tapping against her fan. She'd removed it from her back as soon as she'd entered, and hadn't looked up once.

"Shut up Kankuro. He's only a few minutes late." She snapped.

"Troublesome." I murmured as I closed my eye, thinking through my suspicions as to what this meeting was leading to.

Obviously it was either about Gaara, Gemma or both. Most likely both. If it were just Gemma the Sand Siblings wouldn't be there. If it were just Gaara I didn't need to be here. Lee was an option towards both.

What then...was it her impending journey to Suna? No, Gaara would be here. The attack? The reports had been handed in. So-

BANG!

"I am sorry!"

The door flying open announced Lee's arrival and I opened my eyes to see him bowing in apology.

"Gemma was a little startled by Gai-sensei, so I was delayed in leaving her." He explained.

"Calm down kid, you're only five minutes late." The Hokage growled. "Now sit. All of you. We have things to discuss."

Needless to say we all obeyed.

"Shizune, set up that barrier and get me my biggest bottle of booze!"

Shizune scowled at the second demand, but nodded and jutsu'd out. Seconds later I felt a wave of Chakra envelop the room. A Chakra barrier. Whatever this meeting was, it was big.

Tsunade waited. But Shizune didn't return to deliver the alcohol.

"Damn her..." Tsunade growled. "Oh well, let's get on with it!"

She turned to face Lee and I. "It goes without saying that nothing I say leaves this room, right?"

I nodded and Lee started balling about youth and promises...until Kankuro reached over and casually slapped a hand over Lee's mouth.

"Thank you." Tsunade mumbled. "Lee, I trust you both implicitly, but it's protocol to give out the standard 'you-tell-you-die' warning, okay? Right! On to business!"

Kankuro removed his hand. Lee didn't seem to notice, too overwhelmed by the Hokage's show of faith.

Something was bugging me at the back of my mind…something to do with Gaara…

A bit of information he had once given me (and Naruto) himself. Something that, until now, I had chalked up to near insanity. But after seeing the results of his battle with Naruto, I wasn't so sure.

"Is this about Gaara's demon?"

Four pairs of eyes turned to me. _'Bingo.'_ Three of them were shocked, one confused.

"Demon…but Gaara is not-"

"How do you know?" Temari cut Lee off, her voice unusually quiet.

"Gaara. He told me and Naruto once. When we stopped him killing Lee."

Lee's face paled. He'd had trouble sleeping for weeks after Naruto blurted it out to him, and still had nightmares about it today…forgiveness aside, Gaara had done a lot of damage, and not all of it was physical.

Kankuro's mouth had fallen open and seemed determined to stay that way, despite his best efforts. "He…he _told_ _you_?!" He finally spluttered out.

Tsunade gave a sigh and rested her head in one hand. She closed her eyes and waved at me with her free hand.

"Shikamaru, please tell us as closely as you can what Gaara said and did that day…leave out no details."

I nodded. It wasn't a conversation I was likely to forget…

**FLASHBACK!!**

Gaara had been paused to kill...his sand surrounding Lee. He was panting hard and freaking Shikamaru out completely.

Luckily he hadn't seemed to have noticed them yet...but he would in a few moments. Shikamaru made a hand sign and watched silently as his shadow extended and captured the child-killer.

He let Gaara continue for a few seconds, watching as he lost control and gave a pained yell. Then his eyes widened as he realised...

"I can't move...my body..."

BAM!

Naruto gave a yell and sent a fist to connect with the left side of Gaara's face. Shikamaru yelled out in pain as the hit affected him as well.

"What the heck do you think you're doing in here, you rat?!"

Shikamaru raised a hand to the side of his face and glanced over at his loud companion. A good question...but he wished it had come without the punch.

"Hey man, go easy! I'm using my Shadow Possession Jutsu so when you're bashing him, you're bashing me too. You got it?"

"Oh." Naruto said sheepishly. "Sorry Shikamaru."

Shikamaru turned to look at his captive. Naruto's punch had been strong enough to crack the sand armour Gaara had placed around his body, and clumps of sand hit the floor as he looked at his two opponents impassively.

Naruto took a few steps back to stand next to Shikamaru and glared at Gaara.

"Out with it! What were you trying to pull?"

Gaara just stared at them, seemingly unbothered by his predicament.

The sand was still plastered to Lee's face and body, but he was slept right through. Not surprising considering all the damage his body had taken.

When Gaara didn't answer Naruto's question, Naruto clenched a fist and gritted his teeth. "Well? Are you gonna tell us what you were gonna do?"

Gaara stared at Naruto intently. "I was going to kill him." He answered simply.

Both Naruto and Shikamaru gasped. "What?"

_'This guy's one cool customer...'_ Shikamaru thought. _'Look at him. He's not even phased by my Shadow Possession Jutsu.' _He mentally shook himself and narrowed his eyes.

"You already beat him once in the competition. What's your problem? Wasn't that enough for you? Do you have some kind of personal grudge against him or something?" It was the only reason Shikamaru could see for trying to kill an unarmed, unconscious opponent in the hospital.

"I have nothing against him-" Gaara replied.

"Huh?" Now Shikamaru was confused.

"-it's nothing that complicated. I simply wanna kill him, that's all."

Naruto lost it. "You know what? You're sick in the head! You're crazy!"

"Yeah," Shikamaru agreed, "you think we're just gonna stand by and let you do whatever you want, you sick, selfish psycho?"

_'This guy gives me the creeps.'_ He shivered. _'There's always been something weird about him...scary. If he decides to make a move, I'm not sure we'll be able to stop him!'_

Gaara tilted his head as Shikamaru did. "If you don't stay out of my way I'll have to kill you two as well." He stated.

"Oh really!?" Naruto yelled, punching a fist forward in illustration. "Well let's just see you try it!?"

"Hey, whoa kid! Take it easy!" Shikamaru stepped in. If Naruto went head to head with this guy they'd both die_. 'Best thing to do is try and bluff our way out of this...'_ He thought.

Naruto growled, but Shikamaru decided to use his initiative.

"Yeah, yeah." He sneered at Gaara. "We watched your last match against Lee. We know you're tough. But you know, Naruto and I have a few little tricks up our sleeves as well. We were holding back during the competition, there are things you haven't seen yet!" He ignored Naruto's confused look in his direction and prayed the blonde would catch on quick. "On top of that, hey, it's two against one. So don't be a fool, okay? Just take my advice, and go. Quietly."

Gaara just stared at him, face devoid of any emotion. "I'll say it once more," he said, leaning forward "if you get in my way," his eyes narrowed "I'll kill you."

Shikamaru froze in shock. _'Okay, plan B.'_

"Ha!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing a finger at the lunatic. "And I'll say it again! Let's see you try it!?"

"Back off will you!" Shikamaru exclaimed, releasing the copy-hold on Gaara and just holding him still. It was eyrie watching Gaara copy his every move. He laid a hand out to stop Naruto advancing. "We don't wanna go there!" He warned the blonde idiot. "This guy fights like he's mad, like he's a demon or something!"

Naruto grinned and lowered the finger. "He can act like a demon if he wants to, but you know what? I've got the real thing inside of me!"

What the...the real thing? Shikamaru was confused, worried, and close to pissing himself.

Gaara just stared at them, mainly Naruto, was some form of light interest now.

Naruto's grin dissolved into a snarl.

Shikamaru elbowed him. "Idiot. Leave this to me. What's the point of getting him mad?"

Naruto forced his anger down, snarling.

Gaara finally broke their gaze, bowing his head in thought. "A demon, huh?"

Naruto relaxed a little in confusion.

Gaara's eyes were closed and he seemed completely unworried by their proximity and anger.

"My demon is as real as yours is." He said simply.

Shikamaru took a step back in shock. Was the red-head serious?

Gaara raised his head and looked at them again.

"From my birth, my upbringing was not what most people would consider a happy one. To ensure that I became the strongest of shinobi, my Father cast his ninjutsu on me, infusing my unborn self with a sand spirit. I destroyed the life of a woman who gave birth to me." He looked at them both seriously. "I was born a monster."

Naruto's eyes went side with shock.

Shikamaru was pretty shocked too. To go that far, just to ensure your child was strong...madness! _'A sand spirit...?'_

Gaara continued, unfazed by their shock. "It's name is Shukaku, and it's the living incarnation of an old monk of the Sand Village who'd been sealed up in a jar of tea."

Shikamaru composed himself and forced a grin. "Yeah. Some kind of demonic jutsu, but to use it on a baby? Before it's even born? Man, that's creepy!"

Naruto stared at him, still in shock. Then turned his gaze to Gaara unsteadily.

"Gee," Shikamaru said sarcastically, still trying to bluff their way out, "what a swell guy your Dad must have been. He really must have loved you a lot."

Gaara stiffened. "You speak of love. Don't measure me by your standards."

Naruto's face was a mixture of wonder, fear and disgust that made Shikamaru worry for him. But he had to concentrate on the killer in front of them. Naruto could be comforted later.

"Love." Gaara continued. "Family. The only emotional ties I have to my family are the ones I'd like to wrap around their necks. They're only ties of hate."

Both Shikamaru and Naruto stiffened. To talk so casually of killing your family...

"Given life by the death of my mother I was brought into being and nurtured as the salvation of my village." Gaara closed his eyes. " I was the Kazekage child. My Father taught me the innermost secrets of the shinobi. He pampered and protected me, leaving me to myself. For a time I thought _that_ was love." His eyes reopened...it was like he was trying not to see the good parts of his past. "And that was when everything started."

Shikamaru frowned. "When what started?" He asked, almost afraid to know the answer.

Gaara didn't reply...just stared at the ground.

"What was it?" Naruto asked stiffly. "Are you gonna tell us or not?"

Still no response.

"So go on!" Naruto insisted. "What started? What was it?"

A demonic grin slowly made it's way across Gaara's face, and when he opened his eyes they were wild and dangerous. "In the six years since I became six year old, my Father tried to destroy me more times than I can count!"

He sounded almost ecstatic at the thought.

Both Naruto and Shikamaru recoiled in horror, shaking.

Shikamaru forced his fear down...something wasn't adding up. "You just finished saying how your Father pampered and protected you. So which is it?"

Gaara's grin was gone, but a dangerous smirk remained. "Those who get to be too strong are apt to become feared." He explained. "The jutsu that gave me birth had unbalanced something in my mind. Even the fools in my village finally realised I had...emotional problems. My Father, the Kazekage, created me as his ultimate weapon, but I eventually became a threat to the very village I was meant to save. By the time I was six I became a figure of terror to the villagers. To them, I was a relic of the past they wished would disappear. So you see I had failed at the one purpose for which I was given life." The smirk had turned into a psychotic smile. "What then was left for me in this existence, why go on living? For a long time I couldn't find an answer to that." His brow furrowed. "But in order to live, you need a purpose. To exist for no reason...that's the same as being dead."

"What is this guy talking about?" Shikamaru asked Naruto...but Naruto looked like he'd made a shocking realisation. His face was full of fear...and a twisted understanding.

Gaara bowed his head again, eyes closed. "Then, in time, the answer came to me. To put it simple my reason for living is in the killing of others. For years I lived in fear of those who were sent to murder me. But now I am at peace." His eyes opened, but stayed trained on the floor. "I killed many would-be assassins. And it was why I was doing it that the truth was made clear to me." He looked the boys in the eyes. "I live solely for myself. I love only myself. As it was the death of my Mother that first gave me life, now it is the death of others that sustains me, that makes me almost happy to be alive. And there's no end to it. As long as there are still people to kill in this great, wide, crowded world, I will never disappear!"

By now, Shikamaru was completely creeped out. _'This...freak! He's out of his mind!'_

Naruto didn't even look like he was listening anymore. Fear flooded his face, and he took a step back, shaking.

"Hey," Shikamaru asked, looking back at him in concern, "where're you going? What's wrong?!"

The sound of sand brought both their attention back to the murderer before them. It rose up like tentacles around its master.

_'He shouldn't be able to do that!'_ Shikamaru thought in confusion...and panic. _'Not with my Shadow Possession Jutsu on him.'_

Naruto froze in fear, panting harshly. The sand swirled towards them as Gaara's eyes flashed with malice.

"Naruto!" Shikamaru yelled out, noticing the sheer terror on his friend's face. "Hey, wake up! Oh man, what a drag! Naruto!"

Naruto didn't even act like he heard him...just stared at the monster attacking them.

"Now, let me feel alive!" Gaara growled out, eyes dancing with madness.

Sand shot towards them. "Incoming!" Shikamaru warned, knowing he couldn't leave Naruto.

Just as it made to hit them...

"Alright, that's enough!"

Three pairs of eyes, two relieved and one furious, looked towards the man as he entered the room.

"Save it 'till tomorrow." Gai said firmly. "That's when the final competition begins. You're just wasting it today, is that what you want?" He walked further into the room and stared at Gaara, whose hands flew to his head as if in pain. His eyes were unfocused. Shikamaru wasn't sure he even remembered they were there.

The sand finally retracted from Lee and hissed back into the gourd. Gaara hunched over, and removed one hand from his head before beginning to skulk out of the room. He looked back as he leant against the doorframe.

"All the same," he warned, "I will kill you. Just you wait. I'll kill you all!"

And then he was gone.

**END OF FLASHBACK!!**

I sat still for a while after, shuddering internally at the memory. There was stunned silence around me. I didn't think I had a knack for story-telling, but everyone had stayed riveted during my tale.

Finally Lee bowed his head. "I see now…why he is how he is…how he was..." He looked as though he was going to cry, which, given it was Lee, wasn't too farfetched. "To have endured so much pain…" He gave a little shake, and then, to everyone's shock, lifted his head and gave a grim smile. "But it just confirms my suspicions! To have gone through such torment and to have come out the other side a stronger and saner person…Truly, he is one of the strongest people I have ever met!"

Kankuro gave him a look that suggested his brain needed fixing. Temari, however, leaned over behind her brother and gave Lee a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"You're a good kid, Lee." She smiled. "But I'm afraid what he told you of his past was somewhat abridged. It's just the tip of the sand-dune."

"That's all they need, Temari." The Hokage intervened.

All four of us turned to face her.

Tsunade sighed and closed her eyes once more.

"Everything Gaara told you was true. The sand spirit Shukaku was imprisoned inside him before his birth. He was pampered until his sixth year…when something happened to change him. I'm not at a liberty to tell you what. That's Gaara's business and his alone. From then on he was targeted until he passed his Genin exam at the age of twelve. Then Orochimaru took on the persona of the Kazekage and ordered off the assassinations, so that Gaara could be their ace-in-the-hole during the attack on Konoha. You know the rest. But that demon isn't any ordinary demon…it's a Tail. The One-Tailed Tanuki, Shukaku."

'_A _Tail_? Like the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox that attacked us years ago? Oh man!'_

"I knew this would be troublesome." I sighed.

"Oh, it gets better!" Tsunade smiled grimly. "Because Shukaku is not fully sealed in him, more like built into him, Gaara cannot sleep for more than about twenty minutes voluntarily without the demon taking over his body. That's what caused all the mess last year. He let Shukaku take over."

"So Naruto beat a Tail? How?!" I asked in astonishment.

"Skill, surprises, and a hell of a lot of luck!" Tsunade replied grimly.

"Gaara's body and mind are held together by Chakra he receives from the demon." Temari explained. "But it's a constant battle against the voices in his head for him."

Lee raised a hand. "Excuse me, but much as I feel honoured to learn more about Gaara's past, I fail to see what this has to do with Gemma. You instructed me never to leave her side, but, apart from this minor incident, I would say she is safer with Gaara than with anyone else in the world."

"It's 'cause Gaara's not the only one with something nasty inside them." Kankuro said tiredly.

Lee turned to Kankuro, and then to Tsunade. "Something inside…?"

"The Dragon." I guessed. "That crazy old pervert was telling the truth, wasn't he?"

Tsunade nodded and turned her attention to Lee.

"Gemma is part of a group of…creatures, called Legendaries. They are humans, as far as I can tell, but they have monsters sealed inside them…against their will. Gemma was thrown into this world because she was at risk in her own from those who fight the Legendaries. One of the few powers she's displayed so far is putting Gaara to sleep by singing him a lullaby…which I don't have to remind you is a bad thing."

"So we have to watch out for both her _and_ Gaara?" I groaned. "What a drag!"

"Not entirely…it seems, according to said pervert, that the abilities of the Dragon far surpass those of Shukaku…or any other demon in our world. They were created to _protect_ the dimensions. So they were made strong enough to take anyone and anything down. Even Gaara."

Lee gave a dramatic gasp and Temari raised an eyebrow. I was finding it hard to believe that a kid like Gemma could defeat anyone.

"No way!" Kankuro exclaimed. "You don't know what Gaara's capable of…even without Shukaku! Yeah, Uzumaki beat him but only because-" He was cut off as both Temari's hand fastened themselves around his mouth and Tsunade made to get out of her chair.

Lee looked confused…but I was replaying the conversation with Gaara again…listening to Naruto. _"I've got the real thing inside of me!"_

'_So Naruto has a demon too, huh? Troublesome. I better keep it quiet.'_ I thought.

Kankuro was forcing Temari's hands away from his mouth with a disgruntled look, as upset with himself as anyone else.

"What Kankuro was _trying_ to say," Temari picked up, " was that Gaara is near impossible to beat normally, let alone without the help of the demon."

"Oh, I dunno. I reckon I could take him!"

All four of us were on our feet at the first intake of breath from the intruder. Lee slipped into a fighting stance, the Crow was half off Kankuro's back and Temari's fan was unsheathed. I myself was hurtling a shadow towards the girl that had slipped in unnoticed.

"Stand down!" Tsunade growled wearily. "She's okay." She turned to the girl. "Do I even wanna know how you got in?"

"Easy!" The girl grinned. She had long brown/black hair and eyes and had so much eye make-up on she resembled Gaara himself. She was dressed in black from head to foot and I pegged her at twenty years old. Not stunning, but not so hard on the eyes. And quite obviously troublesome.

"Your barrier's all well and good when it comes to keeping out ninja, but it's designed to alert you of intruders with Chakra, and I don't have any!" She smirked.

Tsunade shook her head. "I knew I'd need that booze. Why are you here…I forget your name."

"Jenni, Jen, J, Wren, Nix, Kid, whatever you like really. Make one up! It's all fun and games!" The girl sang out, swinging her legs and knocking her heavy boots together. She was perched on top of a cabinet and seemed perfectly at ease.

"Lord Hokage…who is this?" Temari asked, eyes narrowed and fan still out.

"Chill Blondie, I'm a good guy…girl…person!" The girl smiled and gave us a thumbs-up that seemed eerily familiar…

"This is another Legendary…the Phoenix, am I right?"

"Yup! That be me!"

Kankuro blinked and replaced the Crow. "How many of you are there, and are you _all_ hot?"

"Kankuro!" Temari yelled, hitting her brother on the head.

The girl just grinned. "Aw, it's nice to get chatted up instead of captured and bitten for once, but you're not my type kid!"

'_Bitten…' _I wondered, eyeing the wide choker around the Phoenix's neck.

"I can change! What's your type?" Kankuro continued, ignoring Temari's attempts to kill him.

The girl gave a feral grin, raised a finger and pointed at…

"_LEE?!_"

Lee's eyes popped out of their sockets at the girl's confirming nod. "Yup! I don't always go for the classic good-looking types. I prefer those who have a little individuality about them. Besides," she winked one eye shut, "he's adorable."

I suddenly realised where I'd seen the thumb's-up before…it was Lee's good-guy pose.

Lee was just mouthing wordlessly. I didn't really blame him.

He's been trying to convince Sakura to go out with him for over a year, and out of nowhere a fairly good-looking, much older and waaayyy powerful (if I understood rightly) woman was saying he was her type and calling him adorable.

Poor guy.

Troublesome women.

"I assume you're not here to discuss your taste in men." Tsunade said wearily.

"Nah." The girl smirked and jumped off the cabinet, landing gracefully.

'_Oh, and she's a martial artist too…good luck Lee, you're gonna need it…'_

"A little bird told me you wanted to know more about the Dragon and the Legendaries. So ask away!"

"Well," Tsunade began, "we now have a vague idea of what she's capable of-"

"Oh, you've got no clue!" The girl laughed. "You think the little tricks she's done so far are the best she can do? No way. When I started I could set myself and shit around me on fire…now I can start a small fire in your lower intestine and fry you from the inside out!"

We all stared at her.

"What? I can! Get me someone you need dead and I'll demonstrate!"

"No! That's…that's fine, we believe you." Tsunade said quickly. "Just…so far she's deafened half my hospital staff, put Gaara to sleep and blown a rogue ninja out of a fourth story window…what else is she gonna be capable of?"

"Well, I'm guessing here, but I'd say eventually she'll be able to focus her abilities on a singular person, so instead of deafening the room, she hits one person. The wind is a…natural defence. It'll respond when she's in danger. My fire does it too. Same with Susie's psychic blasts. Her powers are offensive though, I can tell you that much. Don't mess with her."

Tsunade laid her head on her desk. "Is she going to destroy my village?"

"Not unless you _really_ piss her off."

"Fine…we'll just have to do as we planned and keep her under twenty-four hour guard. I'm not having her put that brat to sleep again."

"Yeah, wasn't that weird? Have you worked it out yet, by the way?"

"What?"

"Why Shukaku didn't attack."

Tsunade's head flew up. "You know?"

"Fairly obvious once you think about it." The Phoenix replied cheekily.

I ground my brain…there was only one explanation I could think of if Gemma really did somehow put Gaara to sleep…

"She put his demon to sleep too."

Four pairs of eyes stared at me in astonishment.

"She…she can _do that_?" Kankuro asked, turning to the girl.

"That and more, kitty boy, that and more. She only has to stay here for a bit, then we can take her away and train her."

"No!"

The yell came from Temari. "No. You can't do that to Gaara! You can't give him a possible friend, the only person who isn't afraid of him, and then yank her away back to wherever! It's not fair."

"I know."

The reply was stunningly soft compared to the girl's usual volume. "Believe me I know." She brightened. "But there's the beauty! It's up to Gemma, but because she's in danger in our realm from her own family Those Who Watch are considering letting her stay here permanently! But it is up to her. She'll still need a few years of training though."

Tsunade banged on her desk. "Enough! We'll cross that bridge when we come to it! Right now she's here, she's not in control of her abilities and she has a crush on a demon-ridden brat who puts her in sand coffins…I'd say she has enough to think about. Now!" She turned to Lee and I. "Lee, you'll stay by Gemma's side during the day. Obviously let her go to the toilet and stuff alone, but other than that, stick to her like an explosive tag. Do NOT let her and Gaara be alone! Even if she put Shukaku to sleep this time there's no guarantee she'll do it again." She turned to the girl. "Right?"

"Yeah…first time my power emerged I burnt the flesh of a couple of hundred goblins. The next time I set fire to a church and almost got burnt at the stake!" She shook her head in exasperation. "Burning at the stake…I ask you. I even offered to light it for them. Stupid peasants."

"Anyway!" Tsunade continued. "Shikamaru, you'll be on night duty since you sleep most of the day away anyway. Same rules. Clear?"

"Clear!" Lee and I answered in unison, though Lee also saluted.

The girl chuckled. "See? Adorable!"

Lee froze and flushed red. "Th-thank you…um…what do I call you?"

"Anything you like." The girl winked, then laughed at Lee's look of shock. "Why don't we stick with my name for now. It's Jenni. And I'd better be going. There's a battle in another dimension with my name on it! Gods, I love scrapping!" She waved. "You'll see me again soon, don't worry. Ja!" And with that there was a ripple in the air…and she was gone.

--

_A.N – Yep! Me again! And I'd choose Gaara over Lee in real life, but Gaara's Gemma's, so my next fav is Lee. So Kawaii! Please, please, please R&R!_


	27. Chapter 27

A/N

**A/N**

To all the readers of my fanfictions.

This is just a short author's note announcing a two-week hiatus.

Unfortunately my mother is currently at the vet's having our eldest cat put to sleep. It's the second cat we've lost in six months and today is her fiftieth birthday.

She's going to need a lot of support over the next few weeks, so my writing may be put on hold.

I will be back as soon as I can write something that doesn't have death in it.

Thank you all for understanding.

Ja!

Jenni (Jekr-Dementor2)


	28. Chapter 28

'What the Hell…'

'**What the Hell…'**

**This chapter's disclaimer comes from Littleva again! She has such good ideas!;**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have his own underwear ads.

…**Excuse me. Goes into a happy little fantasy about a mostly naked Gaara Mmm… Okay! I'm back!**

_**I'm back earlier than I thought! I realised that writing is a form of therapy for me, so I got out a writing pad and off I went. I have three planned chapters, so you guys should have regular updates for a while!**_

_**And now, a brief message concerning a couple of Personal Messages I got regarding the 'character' of Jenni.**_

_**Thing is, it's not an OC, it's me. The only difference is that I don't have control over fire…yet! My opinions, my looks, my personality, the lot! Originally the idea of the Legendaries was that they'd all be real people. I am the Phoenix, Jenni. Susie (the Unicorn) is my best friend, we have an Elf, Bex lined up too. Gemma is the only OC, because we wanted a Naruto based one and didn't know anyone besides me at the time who knew it well enough. Besides which I don't like people touching my Gaa-Chan growls. We're still looking for a Leviathan, so if anyone wants to volunteer, get in touch via review or personal message. **_

_**Hope that clears things up! **_

_**Oh, and I'm glad you all like me grins!**_

_**On a sadder note, I've just been informed I failed my Professional Writing Course, so forgive me if a little angst comes out in my writing for a while. It's a bit of a confidence knock.**_

_A.N - Yay! Reviews!_

_Lots of 'em too, since I put up an author's note._

_Something Diabolical – Thanks for the confidence boost…and I'm not entirely sure why I like Lee, except to say that I find him adorable. I can't see how you like Mr. Emo-Duck's-Butt-Hairdo…but oh well. Live and let live. I know one person who like Orochimaru. Oo Explain that one to me?! Thanks again!_

_Littleva – Great minds indeed! If there is gonna be some ahem interaction between me and Lee it won't be until the third book, 'cause that'd be child abuse…remember he's only fourteen, and I'm twenty. And I don't give a fuck about Sakura really. I'm not sure Gemma will care about the 'no alone time' thing as much as Gaara will…And thank you for your support about my cat. _

_Kitsmits – Thanks for liking me ____ Oh, and there was a story out there a while back, but I removed it 'cause we didn't have the time to complete it. It's not based in the Naruto realm, but in the Van Helsing realm. I'm considering re-posting it, 'cause it's all written down on paper. Just needs typing up. But, unlike this fic, it has no plot what-so-ever! Let me know what you think. Thanks for your support on the whole 'cat' issue._

_XBabydollXExperimentX - Chuckles So you're a mini-me huh? That's…I was gonna say nice, but I'm not sure it's such a good thing to say about me ;) I'd be glad to at least hear any ideas you have. I have the basic plot in my head but I can always add little things. Send me any you have in a personal message so people can't see what's coming. I'll give you credit for any I use. And thanks for the offer about the kitten, but my Mum says we're not having anymore pets now until the others die. Your disclaimer idea will be used in the next chapter btw._

_Of.Two.Minds – Thanks for your support. Yeah, she was a member of the family and we miss her, but I decided that writing is as good a form of therapy as any, so I'm back!_

_Nusumu Mizuki – Thank you for your kind words. Hope this chapter lives up to your expectations._

_**Phew! On with the show!**_

**Chapter 27 – Symptoms of Relationships**

**Previously;**

_The girl chuckled. "See? Adorable!"_

_Lee froze and flushed red. "Th-thank you…um…what do I call you?"_

"_Anything you like." The girl winked, then laughed at Lee's look of shock. "Why don't we stick with my name for now. It's Jenni. And I'd better be going. There's a battle in another dimension with my name on it! Gods, I love scrapping!" She waved. "You'll see me again soon, don't worry. Ja!" And with that there was a ripple in the air…and she was gone._

--

Gemma's POV

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

I dropped the book I was holding. "What the hell?!"

TenTen looked up from my latest drawing (Naruto) and gave me a grin. "Lee must be back. It's their usual greeting."

I raised an eyebrow. "…You _work_ with this?"

"I try." She shrugged.

I braced myself for another 'Green Beast' attack, but when the door opened it revealed…

"Kankuro!"

I leapt into his arms with relief. To my surprise the hug was returned.

"Typical."

I peered over Kankuro's shoulder to see Temari smirking.

"What? Like I'm gonna refuse a hug from a cute girl." Kankuro snorted.

"Troublesome…" A voice sighed.

I didn't bother looking. "Hey Nara."

"It's Shikamaru." The lazy boy huffed as he collapsed into a chair. He looked like he'd run a five mile race.

I rolled my eyes and backed away from Kankuro to hit him on the shoulder.

"Ow! What'd I do?" He yelped.

"Do you have _any_ idea what they sent to watch over me?" I hissed.

Kankuro winced. "Oh yeah…well, you're not in spandex, so I'd count yourself lucky!"

I hit him again.

"Ow, geez! Not my fault here!"

"We're sorry Gemma." Temari said through the chuckles of watching her little brother being beaten up by a girl. "We all really had to be at this meeting. It was about you and Gaara, y'know. The good news is, Gaara can still see you."

"The bad news is," Kankuro interjected "that either Lee or Shikamaru has to stay with you at all times."

"Oh fuck no!" I yelled. "I am not having a shower with them watching!"

"You can go to the bathroom on your own." Shikamaru sighed. "Just not anywhere else. It wasn't our idea, believe me. I don't wanna think about how Gaara's gonna react. What a drag."

TenTen gave a giggle. "Aw. You two aren't gonna have any 'alone time'."

I gave her a 'shut-the-hell-up' look. Temari looked at her too, and her mouth fell open in a little 'O'.

"It's you…uh, listen. Can we…talk?"

TenTen raised an eyebrow, but nodded. Temari looked relieved.

"Thanks. I won't keep you long."

The two disappeared out the door. I heard TenTen ordering Gai and Lee not to go in until she got back, thank the gods.

"I'm missing something here…" I mumbled. Kankuro looked at me and sighed.

"They fought against each other last year and Temari slaughtered her. That on its own would have been fine, but she was pretty nasty after TenTen was knocked out. She feels bad now, but it was the same with me. We were just taking out our aggression on our enemies since we couldn't fight the person we wanted to."

"Who was that?"

Kankuro gave me a look. "Maybe I'll tell you someday…but not right now."

"Oh. So Temari's apologising?"

"Nah, she doesn't do apologies. Probably just explaining and checking there are no hard feelings."

Shikamaru, meanwhile, had pulled the chair over to the bed and was checking out some of my drawings. "Did you do these?"

I nodded.

"They're really good."

"So everyone keeps saying." I sighed. "They're just portraits. Nothing special. I just draw what I see."

"Yeah, but you've only met Naruto once, and this is spot on!"

Kankuro made a 'huh' noise and wandered over to join Shikamaru. He picked a random picture up. "Wow! I never thought Lee could look so…thoughtful."

"Huh?" I peered over his shoulder. "Oh yeah! That was after the battle with Bonehead. Gaara was being all pensive, and it just got Lee thinking I guess."

Shikamaru had gathered all the drawings up in a pile and was looking through them. He raised an eyebrow. "Now _there's_ something I never thought I'd seen." He handed it to Kankuro, who raised _both_ eyebrows.

"Gemma…"

"Yes?"

"Why have you drawn my little brother looking scared shitless?"

"'Cause that's how he looked at the time. Bonehead was about to shish-kabob him. That'd make anyone look at least a little scared, ne?"

Shikamaru looked at me thoughtfully. "You can remember exact expressions?"

"Uh, yeah. So?"

"Hm, can I…?" He gestured to the drawing pad.

"Knock yourself out."

He took up a pencil and began to scribble on the pad, then tore the sheet out and handed it to me. "You have thirty seconds to memorise these numbers; go!"

"What?"

"GO!"

"Fine, yare yare!"

I let my eyes skim over the paper, memorising the numbers swiftly. After thirty seconds, Shikamaru whipped the paper away.

"What were the numbers?"

I huffed. "Pen."

He handed me one and I picked up the pad, writing the numbers down before reading them aloud. "42, 68, 93, 82, 984, 76, 64, 13, 90, 174, 69, 47, 12, 19, 720 and 1."

Silence.

"Wow." Kankuro grinned, taking the pad out of my hands. "That's impressive for someone with no ninja training!"

"This is even more impressive." Shikamaru murmured, handing him the first paper.

Kankuro's eyebrows disappeared beneath his hood. "Even the handwriting's the same! Now _that's _skill!" He looked at me. "How'd you do that?"

"Visual memory repetition. Otherwise known as Eidetic Memory, or a photographic memory." He stared at me. "Yours seems to be focused more on visual images rather than sound, since you had to write the numbers down, rather than speaking them aloud."

"I've been told I had that before, when I was little." I shrugged. "Comes in handy in dancing. If I see a move, I remember it, and can pretty much duplicate it. My teachers used to write stuff down for me so I'd remember it better. But I could have said the numbers out loud if you wanted…it just would have been much slower. I would have to recall the image and turn it into a word. Just copying the images of the numbers and saying them is easier."

Kankuro grinned and held his hands out. "Okay then, copy this if you can!" He rushed through four hand signs. I blinked.

"Too fast. Slow it down a little."

He did as I requested. I memorised them, then copied them.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Rat, dog, ox and sheep. That's a Genjutsu, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but I can't do Genjutsu very well. Learnt it ages ago. Dunno why it stuck."

A knock at the door alerted me to TenTen and Lee's return.

Lee looked at the mixture of expressions, bored (me), astonished (Kankuro) and slightly amused (Shikamaru) and gave a cough. "Did we miss something?"

"Hell yeah! Gemma's got Eidetic Memory!"

"Really!" Lee's eyes lit up…before failing. "What is that?"

"It's really not that big a deal…" I muttered.

Shikamaru sighed. "It means she has a photographic memory."

"Ah! That explains the drawings." TenTen nodded.

Kankuro gave a grin and ran to the door. "I gotta show Temari this! She has a great memory, but yours puts hers to shame! Wait there!"

I watched as he ran out and sighed.

Shikamaru handed the pictures to me and gave a small smile. "Don't sell yourself short. Eidetic memory is something most ninja would kill for. And it takes a degree of skill to turn an image of a person's face into a drawing."

I quirked an eyebrow. "Was that a compliment?"

He smirked. "Maybe."

I was about to pursue the matter when Kankuro returned, not just with Temari, but Gai and Naruto too.

"What are you guys doing here?" I sighed.

"I figured the king of eyebrows here would wanna see the trick, and we ran into this idiot on the way."

"This place is boring, believe it! This ought to liven things up a bit."

I groaned. "Fine. Same test?"

"I have a better idea." Shikamaru grinned. "Lee, can you stand opposite her?"

Lee looked confused, but did as he was asked.

"Good, now. Do you know a kata that's fairly slow, but challenging? And doesn't move around too much."

Lee nodded and began. I smirked as I watched. _'No different to dancing. Easy'_

I studied each movement carefully, making a 'Lee film' in my head.

When Lee had finished he glanced at Shikamaru. "Was that alright?"

"Great Lee. Now, watch!"

He gestured to me. I grinned and began.

It was actually a lot harder than it looked…there must be a specific breathing pattern to follow, 'cause some of the movements just felt wrong.

When I was done I turned to see both everyone except Shikamaru staring at me in amazement.

"That was almost perfect!" Lee said in awe.

I smirked at him…then squealed as I was lifted from behind.

"Truly the power of youth is exploding within you! You have great potential!" Gai boomed.

"Put me down!" I shrieked. And then winced as I was dropped abruptly. "Ow! Thanks a lo-" I looked up to see Gai (as well as everyone else) staring at…an eye in the air. "Oh, EW!"

Temari stepped forwards cautiously. "Gaara?"

The eyeball turned from examining Gai closely to Temari.

"Gaara, you need to come-" the eyeball dissolved and disappeared "-back." Temari finished with a sigh. "I knew he wouldn't go far."

"That was Gaara?! He can remove his eyes?" Colour me grossed.

"No, it's made out of his sand. It's called the Third Eye Jutsu." Kankuro explained.

"Third eyes are invisible…" I muttered. "Oh well, makes about as much sense as anything else in this place!"

"I had best inform the Hokage that Gaara is still around…" Gai muttered before wandering out of my room without so much as a 'bye'. I raised an eyebrow. Apparently the rumour of what Gaara did to people who hugged me had been passed onto the adults.

"I'd better get going too. My parents will be wondering where I am." TenTen smiled. "But I'll come see you tomorrow, after training, okay?"

I grinned. "Sure! See you later!"

She waved and exited.

"We'd better have a quick look 'round for Gaara before it gets too dark." Temari sighed. "Doubt we'll find him, but that infernal Hokage of yours will moan if we don't. Come on, Kankuro." And with a quick wave from her and a wink from Kankuro they were gone.

I turned to the remaining three. "What about you guys?"

Naruto gave a grin. "I've got nothing better to do, so I'll hang for a bit if that's okay!"

Lee gave me a thumbs up. "I have late night training with Gai-sensei later, so I will stay until them."

"I have to stay anyway." Shikamaru sighed.

I smiled. "Aw, you guys!"

--

Naruto ended up leaving up about an hour later. Lee stayed for a little longer before going to his late night training.

They spent their time posing in intricate positions (Lee) or with stupid expressions (Naruto) and getting me to sketch them. Naruto asked if I could draw Gaara with a smile, but since I'd not seen him smile yet, I couldn't. I did a nice smirking Gaara instead…but wouldn't let Naruto keep it. _'Damn he looks sexy when he smirks!'_

Shikamaru slept pretty much through the whole thing, only waking when Lee yelled a youthful goodbye in his ear.

"Troublesome!" He yawned. Then turned to me. "Ready to turn in yet?"

I nodded. "You really have to stay here all night?"

"Yeah, but I can set up some screens around the bed if you want." He shrugged. "It'll give you a little privacy."

"Thanks." I wandered off to the bathroom. When I returned the screens were set up and Shikamaru had set up some form of game board. "Chess?"

"Shogi. It's similar." He murmured.

"You'll have to teach me. I'm rubbish at chess."

"You're troublesome."

"Yeah, but you love me anyways!"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and looked around anxiously. "Please don't say things like that."

"Gomen, it's just a figure of speech."

Shikamaru snorted. "Yeah, I know that. But I don't wanna end up in a sand coffin like Kiba, if it's all the same to you."

I chuckled and climbed into bed as Shikamaru leant a hand against the screen.

"'Night Shika." I murmured.

"Goodnight. Don't have too pleasant dreams, eh? I don't need to be traumatised."

I stuck my tongue out as he closed the screen. And snuggled down to sleep.

--

Kankuro's POV

I was…y'know what? Exhausted doesn't even begin to cover it!

I dragged myself into our (temporary) shared apartment and extended my senses for signs of Temari. Finding nothing, I trudged my way through to my room. I didn't bother with lights as I threw Crow in a corner and collapsed on the bed, trying to relax.

Something felt wrong though…

I opened my eyes and scanned around my room…to see a pair of floating blue orbs in one corner.

"Kankuro…"

"GYAHHHHH!" I yelled and flung my fingers out to catch Crow's limbs with my Chakra strings.

The orbs sighed and the light was flicked on to reveal my little brother staring at me with cynical amusement.

"Geez Gaara! Don't do that." I panted, cutting Crow loose, not that it would have done any good; Gaara's sand was already around the puppet in case I tried to attack him. I winked one eye closed with a sigh of my own. "Where the hell have you been, huh? The Hokage's going nuts! She almost banned you from the hospital after that stunt with Gemma y'know? What's up with that anyway? You know she was the one that stood up for you? Told the Hokage it was her fault. That Lee kid did too. You got some good friends there. You shoulda seen the old bat's face. Still, Gemma's under 24 hour guard now, thanks to you. Seriously, what did she do to make you flip out?" (A.N – "Like a ninja…'cause that's, what ninja's do!" Kanky – Do you mind? This is my POV! Gemma – Sorry.)

Gaara gave me a look and settled on the edge of the bed. "Shukaku was trying my patience." He said, sounding a little pissed.

"Okay, that explains the zoning out, but why in the hell did you put Gemma in a sand coffin?"

"She startled me when I was fighting."

I rolled my eyes. "I know _that_! She told us, said it was all her fault. But she wouldn't tell us exactly _what_ she did. Got all red and flustered."

Confusion seeped into blue eyes. "I don't exactly know…"

"You don't _know_?"

"It's not something I've experienced before."

I sighed. That didn't exactly narrow it down. "Well, describe her actions."

"She was talking to me…probably trying to ask why I wasn't paying attention to her."

"I doubt that." I interrupted. "She was probably asking if you were okay."

Recognition passed over Gaara's face. "Yes, she did ask that. Many times. I was too focused to take in exact words. Then she pressed her mouth here." He pointed to his cheek.

I tried to figure that one out. _'Pressed her mouth against…OH!_

I grinned. "Her whole mouth, or just her lips?"

Gaara frowned. "Lips." He corrected himself.

I gave a snort of laughter. "Oh man…you got your first kiss and didn't even realise it…and then you _sand coffin'd_ the girl who gave it to you!" I shook my head. "You're useless, y'know that? She gives you your first hug, now your first kiss, and you attack her." I looked at him with a chuckle. "What are we gonna do with you?"

Gaara had frowned through my laughing fit, but now the hairless brows were furrowed in thought. "A kiss?"

"Yeah." I wiped tears from my eyes. "She must really like you, huh? Shame, she's a real cutie. Bet there's plenty of guys in that hospital that would love to-"

"No." Gaara said firmly. "No 'other guys'."

I held up my hands in a peaceful gesture. "Just saying Gaara…Gaara…? What's up?"

His face had furrowed in confusion. "She did it wrong…"

"Huh?"

Gaara stared at me, then lifted a hand and jutsu'd away.

I laid back with a sigh. I wasn't worried. I knew _exactly_ where he was going!

'_Good luck kiddo. You'll need it!'_

--

Gemma POV

A hissing sound woke me out of the light slumber I'd slipped into at some point and I froze, trying to work out why the sound was so familiar.

I heard gentle snoring from behind the screens and shook my head.

'_Some bodyguard Shikamaru. You can't even stay awake!'_

I gave a huff and rolled over to find a more comfortable position…to find myself staring into blue eyes.

I gave a yelp and bolted upright to see the eyes attached to a pale face with red hair.

"Gaara!" I hissed. "How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?! Baka!" I blinked and squeezed my eyes shut until the darkness receded a little.

"Where have you been anyway? Do you have any idea-"

"Kankuro said the thing you did before I attacked you was a kiss." Gaara interrupted, not bothering to lower his voice.

"…" Blink. _'Ooookay…and the random award goes too…'_

"Yeah, it was! And I got bloody sand burns thanks to you! And don't change the damn subje-"

"You did it wrong."

"I said stop changing the bloody subject! I was so worried about you! And than a bloody _eye_ appears and Temari tells me it's you and-" his words finally penetrated my sleep-deprived brain "-wait…what?"

"You did it wrong." Gaara repeated. "A kiss is two people putting their lips together. You put your mouth in the wrong place."

Comprehension dawned and I groaned.

"Why did I have to fall for the socially retarded one?"

Gaara gave me a look that said quite clearly 'explain or the sand comes out'.

"Fine. Okay…Kissing for Adorable But Clueless Red-Heads, Chapter One."

To my surprise Gaara nodded and dropped the gourd from his back, moving onto the end of the bed and sitting crossed legged. I shifted a little closer so I wouldn't have to raise my voice. (Yes, that was the _only_ reason…shut up!)

I pinched the bridge of my nose and began.

"First off, _you're_ wrong, not me. A kiss isn't the act of putting lips together, though that's the most common form." Yeah, I can do the 'you are so dumb and I'm gonna make you sound it' voice too! "A kiss, in essence is a motion of the lips. There are tons of different types of kisses, including those that don't even make contact with skin, such as air kissing or blowing kisses. The type of kiss _you're_ describing only generally happens between girlfriends and boyfriends or lovers."

"You said _we_ were friends." Gaara interjected.

I raised an eyebrow. "And so we are (though that might change if you keep setting the sand on me)."

"Then why did you kiss me here," he pointed to his cheek "and not here?" The finger moved to his lips.

'_Ah, gotcha!'_ It was like a game. A 'Gaara's being obtuse again' game.

"Just because a boy and a girl are _friends_ it doesn't make them boy and girlfriend. Okay?"

"No. What is the difference?"

I gave him a look of exasperation. _'Oh come on!'_

I opened my mouth to explain…then shut it again. What _was_ the difference? I had a horrid feeling that the only difference was the one thing I told Gaara you only did with a boy or girlfriend.

'_GYAH! It's too god-damned fucking early for this bullshit!'_ My brain rebelled.

"Feelings!" I finally blurted out. Then blinked. _'Hey…that's not bad! Go me! Stupid brain, who needs ya?'_

Gaara stared at me. "Feelings?"

"Yeah!" I grinned. "You feel differently towards your girl or boyfriend than you do towards everyone else."

Gaara nodded. Obviously that made sense.

'_Phew.'_

"Describe them."

"…Nani?"

"These, 'feelings'. Describe them."

'_Oh for the love of-'_

"Well…uh…" I tried to formulate the emotions I had when I had a crush into words. "You, uh, like being around them more than you do other people, spending time with them, no matter what you're doing. You…miss them. When they're gone. And worry about them when their upset. You want to see them happy all the time and when they feel pain, you feel it too. You think about them constantly, even when you know you shouldn't. You want them to look at you and _see_ you, only you. You want to touch them and have them touch back. And you hate anyone else who has with them what you want. You get jealous when others are claiming their attention. You get butterflies in your tummy when they talk to you-"

"You ingest butterflies?" Gaara said incredulously.

"What? No! It's just a figure or speech…it means you get a funny, fluttery feeling in your stomach when they're near you. Does that help any?" I asked, a little desparete.

Gaara sat still for a moment, before crossing his arms, deep in thought.

"And those symptoms you described are the 'feelings' you get around your boyfriend or girlfriend?"

"You don't have to make it sound like an illness," I mumbled "but yes."

"And girlfriends and boyfriends kiss each other lips to lips?"

"Yup!" I said, pleased at my student's progress. "In fact, anywhere on the face, neck or shoulders is fine. Any further and you venture into another realm, which I'm _not_ going into now."

"I understand."

"Good! Great!" _'Mission accomplished!' _"So can I go back to sleep no-MRPHH?!"

I was cut off as Gaara leant forward and pressed his lips against my own.

--

_A.N – Cliffy! Does Gaara really understand what being a boyfriend is? Please, please, please R&R!_


	29. Chapter 29

'What the Hell…'

'**What the Hell…'**

**This chapter's disclaimer comes from XBabydollXExperimentX!**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have a lollipop so he would smile!

…**Kya! So cute!!**

_**Dudes…I am astonished! I got, like, eleven reviews in one night!**_

_**That's a record for me! I'm so happy!!**_

_**And so I reward you with a quick update!**_

_**Mostly fluff (with a little angst) in this chappie. Get your fangirly squeals ready!**_

_**I hope Gaara isn't too OOC, I've done my best to interpret his reaction to the situation. **_

_**Enjoy!**_

_A.N - Yay! Reviews!_

_Littleva - …Wow, that's some review! Makes me smile when I get detail like this. Okay, where to start…_

_You'll find out a little more of what Gaara understands and what he doesn't in this chappie._

_I actually don't think Gaara's all that bothered about alone time…more like 'time to show everyone she's not available' lol._

_Aha, but I never said it was KANKURO giving Gaara the 'Talk'. It's not exactly someone you'd expect…but makes sense if you think about it. You're psychic, see if you can guess ;) Not for a while yet anyways._

_I don't entirely hate Sakura in Shippuden (she's pretty useless in the original though) but she and Gemma are gonna be friends._

_Wow! I don't know anyone who has it, I just researched it a little (thank you Wikipedia) and adjusted it to suit me. I'm glad it's realistic! _

_Oh, yeah! I'm 28 chapters in and still in her first week dude. She's a constant…ah, well I'd better not say too much. But yes there's gonna be three. First in Konoha. Second in Suna, and Third…wait and see!_

_Thanks for your disclaimer ideas…as usual they make me drool. _

_SnowsShadows – Yes, yes it is. And yet I couldn't help but make things harder on her! I'm evil!_

_Kyrie Twilight – Gaara's sexy all the time sweetie! ;) And now I'm blushing…I haven't got so much praise in a long time! Thankies! I'm glad you're enjoying it so much. And yeah, GaaraOC stories are hard to find. They are out there though…just gotta look._

_Dragon of Twilight – Hehe, poor Gemma. She's gonna be grumpy in the morning. Ah, all will be revealed in this chapter!_

_SuperXDarkXAngel – Yay, a new reader! It's nice when that happens! OOC means Out Of Character…like when people write Gaara proclaiming love to a girl he just met…not gonna happen. 'Love' is a bad word in Gaara's book. Hope you enjoy the chapter._

_Friglit – Thanks for your support. /Hugs/_

_I-Eat-My-Vegetables – Thankies! Well, he's not as clueless as he lets on…you'll see! _

_XBabydollXExperimentX – I'm on an Idol Wall? Wow! Thank you! I like Meg Cabot too, but I prefer her Mediator books to the Princess Diaries. Hand movements /makes note/ noted! Yay! Mini Me! I've always wanted a kitten named after me…but which name will you choose? I have a few…Thanks for your support about the course. They're trying to get me back in._

_Another Leviathan volunteer. We have two so far…might have to interview you both. If we get loads we'll just pull a name out of a hat so it's fair. I'll let you know!_

_**Phew! On with the show!**_

**Chapter 28 – Put Your Lips Together Like This, And…**

**Previously;**

"_And those symptoms you described are the 'feelings' you get around your boyfriend or girlfriend?"_

"_You don't have to make it sound like an illness," I mumbled "but yes."_

"_And girlfriends and boyfriends kiss each other lips to lips?"_

"_Yup!" I said, pleased at my student's progress. "In fact, anywhere on the face, neck or shoulders is fine. Any further and you venture into another realm, which I'm not going into now."_

"_I understand."_

"_Good! Great!" 'Mission accomplished!' "So can I go back to sleep no-MRPHH?!"_

_I was cut off as Gaara leant forward and pressed his lips against my own._

--

Gemma's POV

My brain had died.

For the whole twenty seconds that Gaara kept his lips against my own, my cranium capacity had been reduced to _'Wow…his eyes are really pretty close up…'_

It wasn't even a kiss, as such. He was literally just pressing his lips to mine.

Still, I wasn't a happy bunny when he pulled away.

"Hm. The sensation is pleasant, but it is not how kisses were described to me." He crossed his arms. "Explain."

'_Mah? Wha? Bah?'_ My brain had flat-lined.

And, unfortunately, my brain had decided to take advantage of that fact.

"Explain?! You explain! What the fuck did you do that for?! Didn't I just finish saying only girlfriends and boyfriends kiss?! So why the fu-mph!!"

Once again, Gaara's lips were against my own. And while a small part of me was screaming _'God-dammit! Not again!'_ the other ¾ were giving it the middle finger and enjoying it.

This time, when Gaara pulled away, I stayed quiet.

"It was no different this time…but it at least seems to keep you quiet."

I blinked, then scowled. "Bastard. Seriously Gaara, what the hell?"

Gaara gave a 'you're so dumb' sigh and sat back to explain. "By your definition, if you have the feelings you described towards a certain person, then that person is your girl or boyfriend. By your own definition, you are my girlfriend."

"…Nani?"

"I have been experiencing the symptoms you described for well over a week now. Or at least variations. You have seen for yourself that I dislike others touching you. Temari explained to me that that is jealously. I enjoy your company, though it took me some time to recognise that, since I used to enjoy little except killing. It caught me off guard. I dislike you being injured, and I hate the thought of not being able to stop the injury. Physical contact with you is not unpleasant. I feel compelled to seek you out. Even after I injured you. You affect my decisions. I should have left you when Shukaku began to act up."

'_Who the fuck is Shukaku?'_

"But I didn't want to leave you while you were upset."

…I was in shock. I didn't know Gaara had felt anything besides annoyance towards me. I flinched slightly when he reached out and gently trailed his fingers along my bandages.

"I injured you…hurt you. And yet you asked if I was alright. You showed concern towards me. You're like them…you don't hold a grudge. Why?"

I shook myself out of my daze. He needed this explained.

"Because I care about you, baka."

"Why?" He pressed.

"Because you're my friend. You saved me, and I owe you for that. But I like you too. I care about my friends."

"…you sound like them too."

"Huh?"

"Uzumaki, and Lee. So which am I?"

"Which…?"

"Friend or boyfriend?"

I gave a sad sigh. _'He just doesn't get it…'_

"Gaara, for two people to become involved like that…they _both_ have to have those feelings."

Oh! Hurt in those usually emotionless eyes…it made him seem so much younger.

"So, my feelings are not yours, eh?"

"I didn't say that!" I forced myself onto my knees and crawled over to him. I gently placed my arms around his shoulders and pulled him in. Hugs he already knew…it wouldn't startle him.

"Gaara…you don't even get what a relationship like this involves…" I murmured.

"Kisses?"

I gave a chuckle, but there was no real humour behind it.

"There's a little bit more to it than that."

"Feelings?"

"Yeah, those too, but more."

"Sharing interests, spending time together. Just together. Talking," he raised his arms to wrap them awkwardly around my waist "touching…"

"More."

Gaara pulled back slightly, just enough so that he could look at my face. "What else?"

"Trust."

Gaara's eyes narrowed. "I…trust does not come easily to me."

"Me either. We'd have to learn to trust each other. Can you do that?"

"Can you?" He ran a hand down my back. "The scars?"

I hesitated. "One day. Who Shukaku is?"

He inhaled sharply. "One day…" He echoed. "So?"

"So what?"

"Which am I?"

'…_He still…'_

It was decision time. The moment of truth and all those other retarded clichés. Did I risk getting hurt, again? Or did I leave it, leave Gaara, never knowing if we could build something out of this…even if it was only friendship in the end.

I gave a sigh. In reality, Gaara's…naivety…was the only thing holding me back. But he wanted to learn.

I gave a sigh and grinned. "In the words of Shikamaru…you're gonna be a troublesome boyfriend." I shook my head. "What am I letting myself in for?"

Gaara stared at me for a second.

"…That's a yes, I'll be your girlfriend. But if you sand me again, I'll kick your arse!"

'…_Was that a smile?'_

It was so brief I almost missed it, just a twitch. But to this day, I still swear that was the first time I saw Gaara smile.

And it was just…well, insert a fangirly squeal here.

"You're my girlfriend now?"

I nodded. "Yes."

Gaara pulled back and just studied my face before once again trailing fingers up my arm, over my injuries.

"My girlfriend…" he breathed "…my…" he looked up "…mine?"

I laughed. "Yeah, I guess so…"

"This means others won't touch you." He looked pleased at the thought. "They won't dare if you're mine."

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm still gonna hug my friends Gaara. Besides, you think you could stop Lee from hugging me?"

"But you're _mine_ now!" The look on anyone else's face would have been described as a pout, but since it was Gaara, he just looked pissed off.

"Yes, I'm _your_ girlfriend…but I'm _their_ friend. Okay?"

Gaara frowned, but nodded, accepting the compromise.

"What about kisses?"

"What _about_ kisses?" I teased.

"Kankuro said there were others who would enjoy kisses from you."

'_Oh, way to go Kankuro!'_

"Well, kisses on the hand or cheek are fine for friends. Anything else, I'll let you sand 'em."

Gaara gave me a satisfied look. "Good." And leaned in again.

I placed a hand on his chest. "Gaara…you really need to learn to kiss first."

Gaara's brow furrowed, and he looked at me in confusion. "I…that wasn't…"

"Not exactly, no. I told you, kisses are _motions_ of the lips, not just pressing them together."

"Teach me."

I raised my eyebrows and stared at the clock near my bed. "Now?! It's three am!"

The look on Gaara's face left no room for arguments. "I want to know."

'_Yeah…and then you'll run off and leave me worrying about you again. Better to leave it 'til tomorrow…unless…'_

"A deal then." I held up my index finger. "I'll teach you the basics of kissing, if you promise to visit tomorrow."

"Deal. I do not intend to leave."

'_AW!'_

"I need to let the others know you're mine and they can't have you."

'…_Okay, not so 'aw'. More like…possessive. Oh well.'_

"Fine then." I sat back. "Kissing for Adorable but Clueless Red-Heads, Chapter Two."

'_I'm gonna look ridicules.'_

"Just…it's easier if you just watch and imitate, okay?"

I first kissed the air, so Gaara could get a basic idea of the shape and movement of a kiss. "That's called an air kiss. You give that sort of kiss to someone you know, but not very well, and usually only to girls."

I then raised my hand and kissed the back of it. "That's a basic kiss. See? Easy!"

Gaara nodded, and leant forward again.

"Um, ano…what are you doing?"

Gaara blinked as though it should be obvious. "Practising."

"P-practise on yourself, ne?"

"I won't know if I'm doing it right."

'_Bugger. Shoulda seen this one coming.'_

"Why is it a problem?"

"It's not exactly…I'm just…"

"Just what?"

'_Nervous, terrified, excited…'_

"…" Gaara reached a hand up, and gently tilted my face, before pressing an inexperienced mouth to my cheek.

It was like a child's kiss. Y'know, when they imitate what they say their parents doing. Harder than it needed to be, and much too wet.

But it_ was_ a kiss.

I closed my eyes and allowed myself to enjoy it, just for a moment.

Gaara only stayed a moment, before pulling back. I opened my eyes to find him staring at me.

"Was it correct?"

I gave a slow nod. In its most basic element, it was. He could learn the rest later.

"Good."

This time, when Gaara leant in, I didn't try and stop the lips pressing my own.

As before, the kiss was much too hard, hard enough that it pushed me back onto the bed, Gaara leaning over me and pressing me into the mattress. It was wet too, but it really didn't matter. Because Gaara was kissing me.

It wasn't all fireworks and shit. I'd been kissed before, I knew it wasn't.

But it was…good. Nice.

Until I needed to breathe. I gave a small squeak and pushed gently at Gaara's shoulders. At some point, I'm not sure when, they'd wrapped themselves around his neck.

Gaara pulled back. "What is it?"

I laughed breathlessly. "I need to breathe Gaara."

"Oh." He sat back. "That was…better."

I collapsed into helpless giggles. "I'm glad."

"I think I like kisses." Gaara pulled me up and pressed his mouth to mine again, stopping the giggles. This time he pulled away quicker, giving me time to breathe, before moving in again. And again.

After the fourth time I pressed my hands to his chest and panted. "Okay…I get it. You like kisses. But I really need to sleep now."

He frowned. "You don't like-"

"Oh I like." I took a deep breath. "I really like…but I _need_ sleep!"

Gaara gave a slow nod. "I can see why Temari wants to kiss that Nara boy."

THUMP!

We both looked in the direction of where Shikamaru's snores _had_ been.

"Oh, crap." I murmured. "I wonder how long he's been awake."

"It doesn't matter." Gaara pushed me back into the bed. "Sleep now."

"Mmm, okay." I yawned and pushed Gaara with my foot so I could pull the blanket up. I closed my eyes and settled down, not overly bothered by Gaara's weight near my legs, or when it shifted, so he was sitting next to me. Watching me as I slept.

--

_A.N – Fluff! And their first proper kiss! Please, please, please R&R!_


	30. Chapter 30

'What the Hell…'

'**What the Hell…'**

**This chapter's disclaimer comes from Littleva!**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara be my permanent training partner!

…**that…could hurt…**

_**Hi guys! **_

_**Firstly, I'm so sorry it's been so long since I've updated. Writer's block hit me hard and fast! But updates should be fairly regular for a while.**_

_**Second, I am happy to announce that the new Leviathan is…SuperXDarkXAngel!**_

_**Congratulations!**_

_**Thank you so much to everyone who applied. I've already sent you your emails discussing why you did not get the part. I'm very sorry I couldn't chose everyone.**_

_**But if anyone is interested…I have ancient plans for a similar line of story. OM me if you want to know more.**_

_A.N - Yay! Reviews! _

_Wow…so many…_

_Kyrie Twilight – Yeah…well it's his first kiss. You can't expect it to be perfect. Hell, he was sexy covered in blood and wishing death…I don't think it's possible for him not to be._

_SnowsShadows – I'm glad you liked it. That part sent my sister into a giggling fit as well._

_Dragon of Twilight – AW! :)_

_LadyAmazon – Mah, everyone wants to kiss his brains out lol. Glad you liked it._

_XBabydollXExperimentX – Hello to Bloom! Mah, I'm not a big Shino fan…only one other person is going to fancy Gemma…see if you can guess who!_

_Nusumu Mizuki – Yes, poor Temari! Still, you gotta wonder if that will turn out to be a good thing in the end (Gaara: Temari? Are you ever going to kiss that Nara boy? Temari: What?! No! Why? Gaara: He wants to kiss you. Temari: Oh really, kukuku)_

_Littleva – Wow, I like long reviews! Okay, no, Gaara still doesn't really get it. Thank you for your praise. I did try to keep it IC. Everyone seems to love Shika's pratfall. Poor Shika-baby. Yes, Gaara likes kissing. Veeeery much. Oh, there will be one person who challenges his position as Gemma's girlfriend. But I'm not saying who yet. _

_Akizu Miko – Thank you! Yes, yes he is!_

_SuperXDarkXAngel – Glad you liked it. Everyone likes kisses!_

_I-Eat-My-Vegetables - Gets dizzy watching you run in circles_

_Of.Two.Minds – Thank you, thank you. I tried to make it as realistic as possible._

_Jinxedpixie – Glad you found the fic and like it! Thanks for all your reviews!_

_Friglit – Thank you for your praise. I did my best with Shika-baby, 'cause he's my sister's third favourite character, so if I get him wrong, she hits me. I'm sorry to say the position of Leviathan has already been filled (see above notice). Sorry._

_Vampgirl8 – Yay! I have huggles! I'm glad you like the story so much. It's hard to think of plotlines, but I try. Everyone loves the Angry Panda! (Gaara: Is that supposed to be me? Gemma: Of course it is, right nee-san? Me:Yup!) _

_**Phew! On with the show!**_

**Chapter 29 – The Importance of Being Gaara'**

**Previously;**

_Gaara gave a slow nod. "I can see why Temari wants to kiss that Nara boy."_

_THUMP!_

_We both looked in the direction of where Shikamaru's snores had been._

"_Oh, crap." I murmured. "I wonder how long he's been awake."_

"_It doesn't matter." Gaara pushed me back into the bed. "Sleep now."_

"_Mmm, okay." I yawned and pushed Gaara with my foot so I could pull the blanket up. I closed my eyes and settled down, not overly bothered by Gaara's weight near my legs, or when it shifted, so he was sitting next to me. Watching me as I slept._

--

Shikamaru's POV

I was rudely awoken by a fist connecting with the top of my head.

"You fell asleep?!"

I opened my eyes to see both the Hokage and Temari glaring at me.

'_Troublesome.'_

"I wasn't asleep." I muttered. "I was unconscious."

"And why in the hell were you unconscious?" The Hokage growled.

I flushed slightly as the memory of the previous night came back to me.

I'd continued to fake snoring until it was fairly obvious the two love-birds behind the screen had forgotten I was even there. Once I'd realised, however, the direction that their conversation was heading I'd pulled out the Shoji board I'd hidden away earlier and began to play, rocking back and forth on the back legs of my chair.

I'd rolled my eyes when the kissing noises had started. Apparently Gaara was a lot more…human, than people gave him credit for. I kept an ear open in case I needed to interrupt if things went too far.

It was then Gaara decided to drop the bombshell;

"I can see why Temari wants to kiss that Nara boy."

"…"

Unfortunately I'd been rocking backwards at the time. The last thing I remembered was my head connecting rather solidly with the floor.

A poke to me forehead brought me back to the present, and a glaring Temari.

"We asked why you were unconscious." She snarled.

"N-No reason, as such…something just made me jump. That's all."

The Hokage raised an eyebrow. "That sounds familiar. What does that girl keep doing to you boys?"

I turned my head away with a huff. "It wasn't actually Gemma."

"Oh, so he _is_ here then." Kankuro's voice echoed from the doorway, and he sauntered in with a smirk on his face and one eye winked closed. "I knew it. I'm guessing Gemma had a rough night then?"

I gave him a return smirk. "Your brother takes blunt to a whole new level."

"Gaara's here?" Temari gasped. "And you _fell asleep_?!"

"Yes, I am. And no, he didn't."

Everyone turned to see Gaara walk out from behind the screen.

"Lord Hokage," he began "I apologise for causing alarm, but I needed time to think."

Tsunade raised the other eyebrow. Gaara's apologies were few and far between.

"Apology accepted. But please refrain from attacking my guests and ninja for the remainder of your stay."

"Such revolts will no longer be necessary. Gemma is mine now."

From anyone else that statement would have sounded smug. From Gaara, it just sounded factual.

And it had a somewhat exaggerated effect.

Kankuro started choking on air.

Temari looked as though she'd swallowed some of Gaara's sand.

Tsunade just clenched her fists and let one eye twitch.

"What-twitch-do you mean-twitch-_yours_?!"

Gaara stared at the reactions, then turned to me.

"I do not understand their reactions. Explain."

I scratched the back of my head with one hand nervously.

"Troublesome…maybe if you phrased it differently."

"Ah." Gaara turned back to the Hokage and his siblings. "Gemma is my girlfriend now. None of you or anyone else can have her."

…Okay, now _that_ sounded smug.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, waiting for the information to filter through the group's brains.

Kankuro was the first to recover, and punched a fist in the air.

"Well, allllright! You scored, little bro!"

Temari snapped out of her daze at Kankuro's yell and hit him hard around the head.

"Kankuro!" She growled at him, then turned to her younger brother with a sigh.

"What Kankuro _meant_ to say, is that we're happy you've found someone you can connect with Gaara. Someone…special. But," she bit her lip "we've had news from Suna this morning…"

I turned to look at Tsunade. She had a sad look in her eyes.

This…was definitely going to be troublesome.

Tsunade's POV

I shook my head and sighed to myself as Temari began to prepare her brother for the news.

"Shikamaru, please wake Gemma up. She'll need to hear this as well."

"I'll do it." Gaara said sharply. And walked over to pull back the screen.

I massaged a temple. This was what I was afraid of. Looking at Gaara's psychological profile, Ibiki and I had identified that he would probably become very possessive of any friends he made. A girlfriend…that was a whole can of worms we hadn't even thought of opening.

As Gaara tugged back the final screen I noticed for the first time that his gourd was missing.

Its whereabouts were revealed as the final screen was pushed back.

It was by the side of the bed, just under Gemma's dangling arm.

I gave a sharp intake of breath as she shifted slightly, and her fingertips brushed the sand gently. But nothing happened.

And Gaara didn't seem in the least bit concerned. Instead he simply hefted the gourd out of the way and ran a finger down Gemma's nose.

"Wake up."

Gemma scrunched her nose up in a way that was totally adorable and batted Gaara's hand away.

"You and your damn kisses kept me up 'til four am Gaara. Piss off and let me sleep!"

Temari gave a squeak and jerked her head to look at Shikamaru for confirmation. He nodded his head with a sigh.

Kankuro just looked proud.

I gave a growl. _'This just keeps getting more and more complicated.'_

Gaara frowned and repeated the gesture. "The Hokage is here. She has news from my country. Wake up."

Gemma opened one eye and glared at him.

"I knew you'd be a troublesome boyfriend."

She sat up with a groan and stretched. I noticed Gaara's eyes travel down her body, not so much a leer as an observation. Appreciation of a well-toned body.

Kankuro on the other hand…

"Kankuro! You pervert!" Temari slapped her brother up-side his head again.

Gaara's eyes snapped to his brother just in time to see Kankuro's eyes snap away from Gemma's torso.

"Mine." He growled, and grabbed Gemma's face, twisting it to press a kiss hard against her mouth.

"MPH? Mphh…"

Gemma's grunt sounded a strange mixture of irritated and happy.

When he pulled away to stare ferociously at his brother she flicked his arm, so lightly that the sand didn't even stir.

"Quit surprising me like that. Hentai."

Gaara turned his gaze back to her, and nodded slowly before giving her a look.

Gemma sighed and moved across the bed. Making room for Gaara to sit next to her.

Once settled, Gaara turned his penetrating gaze to me.

"What did the council say?"

I gave a sigh. "Good news first. Gemma has been accepted as a citizen of Suna."

Gemma gave a sigh of relief and grinned.

Gaara just narrowed his eyes. "What's the price?"

"The bad news," I continued "is that they're insisting Gemma become a ninja, rather than a non-military citizen…and that she pass her Genin test here in Konoha before she enters Suna. The second condition, is that upon entering Suna…she has to start training to take Gaara down, should the need occur."

'_Three, two, one.'_

"WHAT THE HELL?!" The yells came almost simultaneously from both Gemma and Kankuro.

"She's got not Chakra! How the hell do they expect her to pass the Genin test?"

"Sod that! What the hell do they mean 'take Gaara down'?! One, it's not possible. Two, even if was I wouldn't do it. And three-"

Gaara shut Gemma up fairly effectively. By kissing her again. Apparently, at some point during the previous night, he'd learnt that covering Gemma's mouth stopped the flow of words coming out of it.

Temari's method was a lot less romantic…she slapped a hand over Kankuro's mouth and stepped on his foot.

"It makes sense." Shikamaru sighed. "They haven't seen examples of her abilities like we have. They're a fairly military village, more shinobi than civilians. They don't want another useless citizen. The Genin exam is a way of testing her worth. And by saying she has to take it in Konoha, they're making sure we have all the trouble of training her. If she does pass it, even without Chakra…there's a real possibility she _could_ be trained to take Gaara down." He turned to Gemma, whose eyes were on him, even with Gaara still attached to her. "Your sister said you could take down anyone you wanted with your abilities."

"The exam will not be a problem." I smiled. "I was saving this until everything calmed down…but you have Chakra!"

Gemma's eyes widened at my words and she gently pushed Gaara off. He moved quite compliantly, apparently realising that she wasn't going to rant anymore.

'_How they managed to breath joined at the lips for that long…'_

"I…have chakra?" Gemma stared at her hands.

"Yes. We found a faint trace when Gaara…when your arms were damaged. It's a small amount…barely enough to keep a normal person going. But you're not exactly normal. I've had nurses checking on you subtly over the last few days. Your Chakra networks are slowly awakening. At their current rate, you'll have the same levels as Lee in about two weeks. It must just be your body adapting to your new environment. Because all living things in this dimension need Chakra to survive, you are gaining some."

"Even if you didn't have Chakra," Shikamaru added "Lee was passed by the Third Hokage without ever being able to perform one jutsu. He was passed on potential and Taijutsu skills alone." He turned to me. "With her natural eidetic memory and her skills in dance, she could easily follow in his footsteps and become a Taijutsu specialist. Suna would probably accept that. After all, Lee very nearly beat Gaara."

"Yeah!" Kankuro wrenched Temari's hand away from his mouth and grinned. "With our help you'll pass that exam in no time!"

"Ah." I sighed. "I'm afraid that's the last bit of bad news." I braced myself to deliver the final blow.

"Temari, Kankuro, Gaara of the Desert. You are hereby ordered by the Council of Suna, the Village Hidden in the Sand, to return to said village." I locked eyes with Gaara.

"Immediately."

--

_A.N – Da da daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Please, please, please R&R!_


	31. Chapter 31

'What the Hell…'

'**What the Hell…'**

**This chapter's disclaimer comes from XBabydollXExperimentX!**

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have a job as a strip-teaser!

…**Oh, the mental images…drools**

_**Oh, my, god! I have had writer's block on every. Damn. Fanfic. I have!**_

_**It's driving me mad! Still I've done my best here. Still, updates are likely to be few and far between for a while. Uni+writer's block+new RP (I'm Lee! Yays!) fewer updates. **_

_**So apologies in advance. **_

_A.N - Yay! Reviews! _

_Mah, so many comments! _

_Littleva – As usual, a lovely long review! Yays! Yeah, my little sister (who insists on 'proof-reading' every chapter I write --) came up with that lol. Originally I had him just coughing. Mah, I can't be giving the plot away now, can I? Thanks for saying the reactions were IC, I do try! And yes, damn the council indeed! You'll just have to wait and see who Gemma's other fan is! I bet you'll never guess!_

_I-Eat-My-Vegetables – You'll have to wait and see. Hands you a tissue_

_Akizu Miko – Maybe…_

_Under A Killing Moon – Well, he's psychotic…and possessive…so yeah lol! Wait and see!_

_Of.Two.Minds – Well, it's Those Who Watch who want Gaara and Gemma to stay together. They have no power over the people in other worlds. That's why V.D had to bargain with Tsunade. Hehe, I'm so mean to poor Shika-Baby!_

_Dirty-Darella – Hehe, thank you! Always great to have new readers. Sorry the update took so long!_

_JinxedPixie – Yup yup! I'm sure it is! Would you be talking if Gaara kissed you lol? And yes, they are obnoxious pricks! (Gotta love spell-check!)_

_**Phew! On with the show! Short Chapter I'm afraid!**_

**Chapter 30 – Checkmate**

**Previously;**

"_Yeah!" Kankuro wrenched Temari's hand away from his mouth and grinned. "With our help you'll pass that exam in no time!"_

"_Ah." I sighed. "I'm afraid that's the last bit of bad news." I braced myself to deliver the final blow._

"_Temari, Kankuro, Gaara of the Desert. You are hereby ordered by the Council of Suna, the Village Hidden in the Sand, to return to said village." I locked eyes with Gaara._

"_Immediately."_

--

Gemma's POV

I gave a heavy sigh and stared at the game-board in front of me. It had been about two hours since Tsunade had delivered the blow, and Shikamaru had to watch me 'til Lee took over at midday. So he had suggested teaching me to play Shoji. But…

"I give up! There's no way-"

"Move your knight in front of his bishop."

I shook my head, but moved it. And blinked. "Hey! Check!"

Shikamaru sighed. "She's never going to learn if you keep bailing her out, Gaara."

Gaara didn't even turn around. He'd moved to the window-sill after Tsunade and his siblings had left and hadn't moved since. "If you win too easily you'll get bored again."

"Then why don't _you_ play me?"

"I'm thinking."

"Hey!" I aimed a swipe at Shikamaru. "I only learnt to play today, gimme a break!"

Shikamaru dodged my fist and made another move.

"Corner his knight with your left rook." Gaara advised in his usual monotone.

I did so, then frowned. "Gaara…how can you see what we're doing?"

Shikamaru cleared his throat and pointed over my shoulder.

I turned to see Gaara's 'third eye' hovering in the air beside me, staring at me.

"Oh, EW! Gaara!"

"It's not real." Gaara said, sounding bored. "It's made of sand."

"Is there anything with you that isn't? It's gross! If you want to watch, come and watch. There's room, and I could use a pillow."

The eye disintegrated and Gaara climbed off the sill to join me and Shikamaru on the bed. I shuffled up, making room and he climbed up next to me, absentmindedly moving a pawn to counter Shikamaru's bishop. "Check."

I gave a huff and fell backwards. My top rode up slightly, exposing my belly. "Y'know what? You two play. I stink at Shoji."

"You're the one who wanted to do something." Shikamaru muttered, moving his king out of danger.

"What I _want_," I growled, "is to go outside! Find a gym. And dance! I'm gonna be so out of practice!"

"Well, your Taijutsu training starts tomorrow, right?" Shikamaru hummed. "So you'll get outside then. Lee's training you, right?"

"Yeah, Gai's on a mission." I replied. Then jumped as Gaara's hand ghosted over my stomach. "Hey! That's cold!"

Shikamaru sighed. "Troublesome. He can see the scars."

"It's not the seeing I object too! It's the touching."

"It's bad for me to touch you now?"

"Not in general…just keep your touches to places not usually hidden by clothes, ne?"

"That was the rule for kisses. I did not realise it applied to touches as well."

"Oh, my fault." I sat up. "That's okay, right?"

Gaara reached over to move a bishop from the front lines. "I like touching your scars."

"Okay then…just the ones on my upper back, okay?"

"You two are officially the weirdest couple I have _ever_ met!" Shikamaru sighed, shaking his head. He moved a knight and sat back, grinning smugly. "Checkmate!"

Gaara stared at the board. Then nodded. "Yes."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "You're no fun. You're supposed to be upset about loosing."

"Why? There's no reason to be. It's a game. No lives are in danger, nothing is at stake."

I gave a snort of laughter. "You…are something else."

Gaara turned to me. "What?"

"Troublesome…it's just a saying Gaara. Anyway, speaking of checkmates…" He moved the board and leant forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "What are you going to do about the Council's orders?"

Gaara stared out of the window again. "I don't know. Officially I can't ignore them. But I have no intention of leaving."

I looked up at Gaara in surprise. "Huh? You have to! They ordered it!"

"Yes. But the witchdoctor _asked_ me to look after you. I'm not leaving without you. It's as simple as that. The difficulty is getting them to accept that." He looked up at Shikamaru. "They say you're a genius."

"Do they now?" Shikamaru yawned. "So?"

"You will help me."

"Why should I do that?"

"If you don't, I'll tell Temari the real reason you knocked yourself out last night."

I raised an eyebrow. "Pawned. The red-head hits a low blow!"

Shikamaru had gone bright red. "Let me think about it." He muttered. "I've got a few ideas…"

"You were already planning weren't you? Aw, Shika-Kun!" I lunged forward and hugged Shikamaru.

"Get off woman!" He growled, but wasn't fighting too hard. I backed off when I heard a warning growl from behind me.

"Chill, baka. I'm allowed to hug my friends, remember?"

"That doesn't mean I have to like it." Was the monotone and completely serious reply.

--

Gaara's POV

Gemma gave a sigh and wrapped her arms around my neck. "Stop being a possessive bastard."

I didn't think I was being possessive…to me it was perfectly logical. If Gemma hugged other people, they might be under the impression that she was available. And she wasn't. She was mine!

I wasn't quite sure where such a strong reaction came from. Only that it felt completely natural. Which, in my experience, probably meant that it wasn't natural at all. But Gemma did not seem to mind.

I allowed the hug, but didn't reciprocate it. Not yet. I wanted to observe other examples first, before I attempted a try myself.

Shukaku was cackling in the back of my mind…something about how Gemma was a whore who would sleep with someone else the first chance she got. I wasn't really listening. He lied for the most part. Besides, what was wrong with her sleeping with others? There was no harm in that. I couldn't sleep anyway.

I turned my attention back to the Nara. I was clever, no doubt about it. I knew I was. Some even called me a genius. But this boy had defeated Temari easily, predicting her every move and countering it perfectly. He also had the inside knowledge that would help me construct a plan to stay here, by Gemma's side, until she was ready to leave.

Again, I wasn't really sure where the desire to stay with her came from. I had never felt the need to stay with anyone, or anywhere, before. I did not get 'homesick' as Temari and Kankuro did, although that may have been because of how I was treated at 'home'.

I blinked. Now there was an idea…

"I'm going to speak to the Hokage." I stood up and gave Nara a penetrating look before turning back and kissing Gemma firmly.

"Mine." I said warningly to Shikamaru. Who just sighed.

"Yeah, yeah…we know already. What a drag."

--

_A.N –What's Gaara's plan? Please, please, please R&R!_


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